Of Pegasus Wings and Dragon Scales
by beefandrice
Summary: Corrin and Hinoka have everything they could ever want. They have each other and they have their beautiful duaghter Kana. Their story is one of ups and downs, of good memories and bad memories, and of moments that they will never forget as they share them with their daughter. [Corrin, Hinoka, CorrinxHinoka, Kana, other Hoshido characters]
1. First Meeting

"Oh my gods, I am beyond exhausted," the Corrin groaned, dropping into his bed face first and not even bothering to roll himself into a more comfortable position.

"Rough day huh?" He heard someone laugh next to him before they too dropped onto the bed with him.

"Training the new recruits is one thing. Training the new recruits with Takumi is another thing; but training the new recruits yourself, followed by more training with Takumi, AND THEN more training with Ryoma is just torture," the silver haired prince mumbled into his pillow, "I swear this family will be the end of me, they're all trying to drive me to the verge of madness."

"Everyone in this family?"

Despite himself, Corrin couldn't help but grin mischievously, "well not everyone; at least Sakura is nice and doesn't drive me crazy."

"Oh yeah?" Corrin suddenly felt his head being hit repeatedly with a pillow. Laughing he quickly turned around and tackled the assailant and started to wrestle them on the bed, only to find himself pinned down with his arms over his head. Looking up he saw a grinning face under a mop of messy, short, flaming red hair and the most beautiful auburn eyes he had ever seen.

"That's for being a jerk, saying nice things about Sakura and leaving me out," Hinoka stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Well I did say "in this family" and I try really hard not to include you in that description, otherwise this would get really weird. You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah yeah, you're just saying that because I pinned you again."

"Oh please, I could get out of this if I wanted."

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you prove—mmmmph!" She was cut off when the young prince suddenly pressed his lips against hers, followed by her closing her eyes and returning the kiss. Suddenly he moved his arms from under her and flipped her around, causing her to let out a surprised yelp and she then pinned her in the same position he had been earlier while he loomed on top of her.

He grinned at her smugly, "told you."

"H-Hey, no fair!"

"All is fair in love and war; especially when one is in love with the most beautiful warrior in all the realm."

The red haired princess blushed profusely at that last comment, "gods, you're such a dork."

"And you are adorable when you get embarrassed," Corrin chuckled letting her go and lying next to her.

"What, that's it? Not going to gloat for a while or have me promise to do something embarrassing before letting me go?"

"Sorry, but I am WAY too tired for any of that. I just want to stay here in bed and just relax for...I don't know, the rest of my life time maybe? Sounds like a good start."

"So there's nothing you feel like doing?" She asked scooting closer and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Weeeeell..." Putting one arm around her waist and using the other one to gently lift her chin so that he could face her, "I can think of a few things we could do without leaving the bed."

"I knew it. Somehow you are never tired for those sort of things," she laughed without pulling away.

"I'm not hearing a nooooo," he inched his face closer to hers.

Suddenly the bedroom door burst open, "Papa! Mama! You're home!"

Giving her husband a quick peck and patting his cheek affectionately she pulled away, "looks like that's going to have to wait."

 _I really need to get a lock for that door..._ "UUF!" He suddenly felt all the air rush out of him when a small girl with bright red hair tied in a messy bun jumped on his stomach.

"Papa let's pay!" The girl laughed

"Sorry Kana, but papa can't even move his arms to push you off, despite the fact that you are cutting off his air supply," Corrin laughed weakly.

"Come on Kana, leave your father alone. He has had a long day and he needs some rest."

"But I haven't seen either of you all day!" The little girl pouted.

"You can stay here if you want with us, just get off your father before he passes out from the lack of oxygen."

"Yes please..."

"Yaaaay!" Kana dropped off of Corrin and laid down in between her parents, grabbing both of their arms and holding them close.

"Ever think we might be spoiling her silly?" Hinoka twirled the girl's hair affectionately.

"Think? No, I KNOW we are," Corrin laughed kissing the top of his daughter's head.

"Papa! Tell me a story please," Kana looked up at her father pleadingly.

"A story? Sure I don't see why not. Which one do you want to hear: the magical koi fish that turned into a dragon? Or maybe the story about the hunter and the injured wolf. Or—"

"I want to hear a story about you and mama!"

"What?"

The little girl nodded her head, "I want to know more about you and mama. I want to hear stories about you two; please tell me!"

Corrin smiled at her, "Well if that's what you want, I'll tell you a story about your mother and I. What kind of story do you want to hear?"

The little red head was pensive for a moment, "oh, I know! Tell me about how you and mama met!"

"Okay, no problem. I can still remember that day clearly..."

* * *

"HAH!" Corrin drove his sword into the towering creature's chest, ignoring its muffled howl of pain coming from behind the iron mask on its head. Putting all of his strength behind his blade he sliced sideways, causing it to crash onto the snow-covered ground before dissolving into a cloud of dark miasma.

The young prince was about the sheath his sword when he felt a tight grip on his shoulder; tensing up and gripping his blade tightly and swung around, ready to strike again, only to see a familiar face in bright red armor take a precautionary step back and raise his hand before him.

"Easy there brother," the man said in a calm yet still commanding tone.

"Prince Ryoma," realizing that he was still pointing his blade at him Corrin lowered it before addressing the high prince of Hoshido once more, "f-forgive me. I didn't know it was you; I was certain that I was about to be attacked by one of those...things."

Ryoma nodded, "I understand how you feel. Fighting faceless for the first time is by no means an easy feat; many who do are not so lucky to tell of their experience. Fortunately, it would seem that you have enough experience and fortitude to hold your own against them."

"I suppose," Corrin agreed half-heartedly, though his racing heart seemed to disagree.

The last 48 hours had been a hectic blur for Corrin to say the least. Upon having proved his worth to his father, King Garon of Nohr, as well as his siblings and members of the royal family Xander, Camilla, Leo and Elise, the young prince was finally allowed to leave the castle where he had spent most of his life confined and had been assigned leadership of a four-man scouting regiment for a mission to the Bottomless Canon, a ravine that acted as the official border with the neighboring kingdom of Hoshido. It was supposed to be a simple scouting mission to report on what they were told was an old abandoned fortress in order to gauge its usefulness for border patrols. Plus, he was accompanied by his mentor and season veteran Gunter as well as his loyal friend and castle maid Felicia. The only downside was that the other soldier he was ordered to bring along was a now pardoned ex-criminal named Hans; the young prince had his reserves about this, but the king himself had granted the pardon and vouched for the man's rehabilitation, so Corrin couldn't protest. Besides, everyone deserved a second chance, right?

 _It's just a simple scouting mission. As long as we do as father ordered, nothing should go wrong,_ Corrin thought to himself as they made their way out of the capital

Upon arriving at the canyon everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.

The fort was no so much "abandoned" as it was "swarming with hoshidian soldiers". Upon realizing their situation Corrin had ordered them to retreat, only for Hans to ignore him and charge head first and attack the soldiers, forcing them to engage in combat. They managed to hold their ground until reinforcements from Nohr arrived, allowing Corrin and Gunter to escape while Felicia stayed back to assist the wounded; however, they didn't get far when Hans suddenly ambushed them on a bridge, throwing the veteran knight into the infinite abyss below.

And then...Corrin could not remember. The moment he saw Gunter fall to his death, his mind simply went white with rage. Whenever he tried remembering what happened, all he could manage to remember was the look of fear on Han's face and the phrase, "just following orders: King Garron's orders!" When he finally came to he was falling into the chasm itself, plummetting into the dark abyss; it was only through quick thinking and sheer luck that he grabbed onto the the rocky wall next to him, bruising his hands but managing to stop his fall. After what seemed like hours of climbing he managed to get back to the surface, only to recieve a blow to the back of the head and be knocked out.

The next thing he knew he was waking up in a small hut deep into Hoshido territory, surrounded by soldiers with orders to bring him alive to the capital. He made no attempt to escape, he was outnumbered and his weapon had been confiscated, so was ready to accept his fate; after all, he was now a soldier in the nohrian army, he always knew that there was a chance that he wouldn't see his family again.

It turned out he was wrong, for he would be reunited with his family; but not in the way he thought. Everything he knew, everything he believed in, would be turned upside down when he was brought before the Queen of Hoshido, Mikoto.

 _"My son...you've finally returned," the queen whispered, tears forming in her eyes. She gently wrapped her arms around the stunned prince and held him close, "I cannot believe it is really you._ _Oh, my poor Corrin; all this time, I didn't know if I'd ever see you again!"_

"Brother? Is everything all right?" Corrin snapped out of his thoughts, chiding himself for spacing out in what was technically a battlefield.

 _Big brother...Xander would have reprimanded me for that._

"Sorry, I am still...processing all of this," he mumbled weakly.

"Ha! What is there to process? Seems like everything is as bright day to me," someone growled behind him. Turning around he saw woman with white haired carrying a mace and a green haired man with light armor waiting on the two royals.

The woman, Rinkah, planted her gunk covered mace on the snow and continued, "we were told that the royal princesses of Hoshido were currently fending off an attack at a nearby village, so we agree to rush to their aid; we get here and, lo and behold, what do we find? Not a bunch of bandits or brigands, but those nohrian abominations that have plagued Hoshido for years. I think it's pretty obvious what going on here. It's another attempt from Nohr to sneak their monsters through the barrier and bring it down from the inside so they can attack with the full force of their army. Now the real question is this: is it a coincidence that this happened right after one of their own was brought inside the barrier?"

"Rinkah, watch your tone," the man clad in green, Kaze, warned her.

"If you are accusing me of planning this—" Corrin began.

"Oh I'm not accusing anyone. I'm just stating the facts, followed by a question we are all having," the warrior cut him off.

"Enough Rinkah. Corrin was brought in on the Queen's orders, therefore he could not have planned this attack," Ryoma said sternly.

"With all due respect, sir, that doesn't mean he's not in some way connect to all this; it seems unlikely that his "return" from Nohr and the largest attack of Faceless we have seen in a while are just a coincidence."

"But I didn't even—" Corrin started before being cut off again.

"Rinkah, stop it. Accusing Lord Corrin isn't going to help us or anyone for that matter," Kaze said patiently, "remember what we learned in Nohr; Lord Corrin has been confined behind the castle walls for a good part of his life. It's very possible that he simply doesn't know what's going on."

"Yeah? Well he's about to learn," Rinkah growled picking up her club and walking towards the young prince.

Corrin took a step back while Ryoma grabbed the hilt of his blade, but the young warrior didn't break her stride. Once she stood before Corrin eye to eye, she raised her weapon inches from his face, gesturing at the black and purple stains still fresh on the wood.

"See that? Know what that is?"

Corrin gulped nervously, "M-Miasma?"

"Where does miasma come from?"

"Dark magic?"

"And how much dark magic do you think is needed to make this many monsters?"

"A-A lot?"

"Good, very good. Now let's see if you can answer this last question: where can you find enough dark magic users in order to sustain that many magically created monstrosities?"

Corrin stayed silent.

"Exactly. Nohr knows that it can't send its soldiers through the barrier without them losing the will to fight; but they can send any number of these things to run wild and destroy everything in sight, including villages that have no way of defending themselves. They've been doing this for years, all while you've conveniently been kept in the dark."

"That's enough Rinkah," Kaze grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the visibly shocked prince, "you've made your point, now focus on the mission at hand. There still may be more of those things wandering the forest; we need to ensure that none of them reach the village."

"...you're wrong," Corrin said softly.

Everyone turned to him.

"My family...they would never do something like this."

"Hmph," Rinkah shook Kaze off of her and made her way into the forest. The man gave him an apologetic look before following.

"I...I just know they wouldn't..."

"Corrin why don't you go this way and circle around the forest?" Ryoma suggested.

"What? Why?"

"These creatures usually attack in packs, but every now and then one or two of them wander off on their own; of course, even one of these creatures can decimate an entire village if left alone. I would do it myself, but I think it would be best if I looked over Kaze and Rinkah, especially the latter."

"You would really trust me on my own?"

Ryoma smiled at him and clasped his shoulder tightly, "but of course. We are family after all."

"Right," Corrin muttered, refusing to meet his gaze. The crowned prince noticed and let him go, making his way after the other two.

"I'm counting on you Corrin," he called out one last time before disappearing into the woods.

Corrin stood alone near the entrance, the snow gently falling around him. He looked at the direction that Roma told him to take, a narrow passage that was probably used to safely herd sheep, before looking back at the main road they had travelled back.

 _I could make a run for it...there's no one here to stop me, and if I head north with only a few hours a sleep at night I might be able to reach the border in two or three days. I could be back with Xander, Camilla, and Elise, back with my family..._

 _"My son...you've finally returned."_

Corrin shook his head, _No, it can't be true. My family is back in Nohr waiting for me. I...I remember growing up there. They raised me. They have to be my family...right?_

 _Right?_

His thoughts were cut off but the sound of someone screaming within the forest; but the voice was different, one that he didn't recognize, belonging to someone that wasn't from their party.

And that could only mean one thing.

Grabbing his sword, he charged ahead into the pathway, hoping that he was heading the right way and that he could still make it on time. He heard the person scream again, followed by the sound of inhuman groans and trees crashing. Following the noise, he reached a clearing where one of the faceless was tearing through forest trying to reach what appeared to be a young girl. She had pink hair, white and red robes, and was clutching what appeared to be a healing staff; she was currently lying on the ground, trying to get away from the monster but unable to stand up.

"Get away from me!" She yelled as the monster got closer.

 _Damn it, I'm not going to make it!_

Suddenly a large shadow flew over him, causing him to look up at the sky; above him was a flying unit, more specifically a pegasus, that then dived at full speed towards the faceless. The rider grabbed their weapon—a long spear with a curved blade at the end—and hurled it towards the monster, tearing through its chest and impaling it against the ground. Jumping off the flying steed the rider dropped onto the creature's shoulder knee first, dislocating it before pulling out the spear and slicing it's head off in a clean blow.

Stunned by how fast everything had just happened, Corrin finally got a good look at the rider in question. It was a woman, with flaming red hair and a fierce look on her face. She got off of the dissolving creature and ran towards the other girl, having not taken notice of Corrin, before kneeling before her.

"Sakura! Are you all right?!"

"Y-Yes...just a l-little shaken," the pink haired girl stuttered wiping her eyes, "thank goodness you came when you did big sister."

"As if I would let anything happen to you. These stupid beasts are all muscle and no brains; they don't stand a chance against me," she responded confidently, "now let's get you back to the villa—"

She was suddenly cut off by an inhuman roar, followed by another faceless charging through the woods towards them. Not wasting any time, she grabbed her weapon and took her stance as the creature got closer and closer. Once it was upon them she raised her weapon to strike, only for a black and purple blade to suddenly burst from its chest, stopping it dead in its tracks. With a swift motion the blade shot upward and tore through the creature's flesh, causing it to collapse on its back. Once it dissolved into a puddle of miasma she saw Corrin standing before here, blade in hand and panting.

"Hey...are you...two all right?" The prince managed to choke out.

"Y-Yeah, we're fine," Hinoka said slightly surprised.

"Good...that's good," stopping for a while to catch his breath he stood straight and continued, "I'm here with Prince Ryoma, and I'm assuming that you two are the princess that we've been charged with looking for."

"Sorry but, who are you? I thought I knew most of my brother's troops."

"Heh, I guess you could say I'm new," Corrin chuckled.

"I see. In that case, I believe introductions are in order," standing straight she clasped her fist across her chest and slammed the butt of her spear on the ground, "Hinoka, first lieutenant of Hoshido's sky knight devision."

"O-Oh.. nice to meet you," Corrin awkwardly tried copying her gesture and pose.

"Uuummm what are you doing?" Hinoka asked confused.

"I was...I just...isn't this how you greet people?"

Despite herself the princess couldn't help but let out a small laugh, "yeah if you are a member of the sky knights; and I'm guessing that's not the case with you."

Corrin suddenly felt very foolish, the tip of his ears getting very hot.

"Anyway, I appreciate the help, but it's really not necessary. It takes more than a few dozen 800-pound monsters to bring me down!" she said proudly.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling confident. Now if you'll excuse me, I believe your brother requires my assistance. Just know that we got your back," Corrin began making his way towards the forest.

"Hey, wait a second!"

"Hmmm?" He turned around and saw her running up to him.

"I didn't mean to be dismissive, or laugh at you before; I should have realized that you weren't from around here. Thank you for coming all the way out here. I owe you one, so take this," she handed him a vulnerary, "you can use it in a pinch to heal your wounds."

"Oh, thank you; but shouldn't you keep it in case another one of those things tries to ambush you?"

"Don't worry about me; I'm at my best in situations like this!"

Smiling Corrin took the vulnerary from her, "well, if you insist. I'll use it wisely," the sound of lighting striking in the distance turned his attention back towards the forest, "I have to go."

"You never told me your name."

"Oh, sorry. My name is Corrin; nice to meet you," with a quick nod the prince ran into the woods.

"Corrin? Corrin?! Wait!" He heard her calling after him.

* * *

"I believe that's all of them," Corrin panted as the last faceless began to dissolve.

"Indeed brother, and I believe congratulations are in order," Ryoma slapped him in the back lightly, "that was quite the display of swordsmanship you demonstrated today. With a little more training you might make a fine warrior of Hoshido."

"Hmph, I suppose he did adequately enough, all things considered," Rinkah agreed reluctantly looking away.

"Yes especially when one "considers" how close they were to being ambushed by one of those monsters before Lord Corrin stepped in," Kaze said calmly.

"I told you, I knew that that thing was coming; I had it under control," she scowled.

The sound of something large landing nearby interrupted their bickering. Turning around they saw the two princesses from earlier dismounting from the pegasus.

"Big brother!" The pink haired girl squealed running up to Ryoma and jumping into his arms for a hug that he returned heartily. The woman—Hinoka if Corrin remembered correctly—didn't move, instead simply staring at the young prince, as if making sure that he was really there.

Pulling away from her hug the young girl turned her attention to Corrin, "Thank you so much for coming to our aid. Those monsters would have caused more damage if you hadn't come. Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Sakura, and I am grateful for your assistance," she finished clasping her hands together and giving him a small bow.

Corrin was about to return the gesture, but then remembered what had happened earlier with the other princess. Settling for a simple nod he smiled at her, "thank you, princess Sakura. I am glad I was able to help."

"I have to ask, though: Who are you?"

"Oh, right. We haven't been properly introduced yet. My name is—"

"His name is Corrin."

The red haired princess spoke suddenly, surprising everyone.

"Er yes. Nice to meet you properly."

She didn't answer, instead making her way towards the silver haired prince.

"Hinoka? Are you all right?" Sakura asked worriedly.

Eventually she reached Corrin and stood face to face with him. Up close he could see that she was slightly shorter than him and that her eyes were a deep shade of auburn.

"Uuuum...h-hi?"

She gently reached out and placed her hand gently on his cheek, "it's...really you...right? You're...Corrin?"

"Y-Yeah," he responded slightly confused but not pulling away.

Upon saying that her eyes began to water and her lower lip began to tremble.

"Ah, s-sorry!" The prince panicked, unsure of what he just did to upset her, "I-I didn't mean...w-whatever I did I—"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head against his chest, causing him to stop talking in shock.

"Finally...after all these years...I...I..." Corrin felt her shake softly as she began sobbing into his chest. Unsure of what to do he looked around at the others, hoping for some sort of guidance. Everyone looked as surprised as he did, except for Ryoma, who simply smiled at him.

"I've missed you so much."

* * *

"H-Hey! Why did you tell that part?!" Hinoka scowled at him.

"What? It's part of the story."

"Awwww mama cried when she met papa!" Kana giggled.

"Don't listen to your father Kana; I did not cry...that much," Hinoka mumbled, her face turning red.

"Come on, there's no need to be embarrassed. It happened years ago, and you were overwhelmed with emotions; also, in hindsight, it was actually pretty adorable."

The princess glared at her husband.

"Are you angry mama?"

"Don't worry Kana, your mother is not really angry. She just doesn't want people to see her more emotional side, especially when she's around me," her father assured her while giving his wife a sly wink, "and that moment is extra embarrassing for your mother because it's the only time she cried in front of so many people; and it was all because of me."

"Why you!" Hinoka could feel her face getting even hotter as Corrin laughed, "you know what? Why don't I tell Kana about the actual first time we met?"

"What are you talking about? I just told her."

This time it was Hinoka's turn to grin wickedly with a mischievous glint in her eye, "nope. It was waaaay back when we were little. You may not remember it, but I sure do..."

* * *

"We're getting another mother?" Hinoka cocked her head confused.

"Yes my dear."

The little girl looked at her older brother to see what he thought, but his face was as stoic as ever. Despite being only ten, Ryoma at times had the air of a full grown adult, aided by the fact that he was excellent at masking his emotions when the situation needed it. Right now he was simply looking at their father Sumeragi, patiently waiting to see if there was anything else he would say to them.

"Her name is Mikoto, and she hails from...a far away kingdom. She came seeking refuge to Hoshido, her home no longer safe for her to stay, and she's been helping our healers improve their craft. Most of our recent advancements in healing magic are all thanks to her. We...we realized that we share...feelings for each other, so I asked her to be my queen; and she accepted."

 _We're getting a new mother!_ Hinoka cheered internally. It had been two years since her own mother died after giving birth to her little sister Sakura; worse of all she had only been six when it happened, and she sadly didn't have that many memories of her real mother. She always wanted someone to do things like picking flowers and play dress up, and now it looked like she would finally get what she wanted.

"There's more. In addition to having a new mother, you will also be getting a new brother," Sumeragi smiled at them.

"Really?!" Hinoka asked excitedly.

The king nodded, "yes. His name is Corrin."

Hinoka was practically bursting with excitement. A new brother! Maybe this one would play with her more. She loved her brothers dearly but Ryoma was a too serious at times and Takumi was kind of cranky all the time.

"...how old is this brother of ours?" Ryoma asked.

"Six."

 _Another little brother!_ Hinoka thought happily. However, when she looked at her brother he did not seem to share her joy; in fact, he was frowning and his brow was furrowed.

"Father...did you have an affair with this woman?"

 _A...ffair?_

She didn't know what that word meant, but it was clearly something bad. The moment Ryoma asked that their father's smile disappeared almost instantly.

"Ryoma I would never do that to your mother."

"But you said that Corrin was our brother, and he's six years old," the boy pressed on.

"It's...it's complicated..."

"It's true! You did betray mother!" He accused him.

 _What?!_

Sumeragi sighed, running his hand through his long brown hair. Eventually he walked up to his children and knelt down until he was at eye level with his son, "listen to me Ryoma. I know that this may look bad, but I believe me when I tell you this: I would never do anything to hurt your mother. I love her now just as much as I loved her when she was still with us. Mikoto will never change that, I simply love her in a way that is similar but different."

"But you said—"

"I know what I said, and I know it looks bad, but I promise you it's not what it looks like. I would never do that to your mother. Like I said, it's more complicated than what it seems."

"Then explain it to me, please!" The boy said desperately.

Letting out another sigh the king placed his hand on his son's shoulder, "I can't, son; at least not yet. You are still much too young, and this is a very sensitive issue that you are not ready for."

"But—"

"But nothing," the king said firmly, "I promise you that when you are older, as you get closer to taking over as the next ruler of Hoshido, I will explain everything that I know to you. Trust me."

"...you promise?"

"You have my word as king, warrior, and father."

For a while Ryoma didn't say anything, unsure whether or not to believe his father. Eventually his shoulder dropped and he nodded slowly, "all right...I trust you."

Sumeragi smiled and squeezed his shoulder, "thank you, my son."

Hinoka was still confused at what they were talking, but he trusted her older brother enough to not push the topic further.

"So, would you two like to meet her?"

"Right now?"

"If you feel you are ready."

"Yes!" Hinoka said excitedly. Ryoma simply nodded.

"Mikoto, they're ready," Sumeragi called over his shoulder.

Soon the room was filled with the sound of wooden sandals gently clicking against the floor as a woman made her way towards the throne.

 _She's very pretty_ , Hinoka thought. With her fair skin, shiny black hair and gentle amber eyes she looked almost otherworldly compared to other woman Hinoka had seen; even the small black mark by the corner of her chin did more to accentuate her beauty than deter from it.

Smiling gently, she gave the children a bow, " Ryoma, Hinoka, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Mikoto."

"Nice to meet you too," Hinoka responded politely while she and her brother returned the gesture.

"Oh my, what well behave children you two are; your father must be very proud of you."

"Did you know out mother?" Ryoma asked suddenly.

Mikoto nodded, "indeed I did. When I came to Hoshido seeking refuge, I managed to reach to one of shrines in the outskirts of the city before collapsing. You mother happened to be there, and she was the one who ordered the attendees to take care of me; once I recovered, she brought me before your father and even spoke on my behalf, ensuring that I would be able to stay in Hoshido. Since that day I worked endlessly with her, doing everything in my power to help the queen and her kingdom as a thank you for everything they have done for me."

"But now you want to replace her."

"Ryoma," Sumeragi warned.

Mikoto shook her head, sadness spreading across her face, "no Ryoma, I would never do that. Your mother was a wonderful person, and a dear friend of mine. I know that she meant a lot to your father, as well as yourself; I know that I can never take her place, and I won't try to. You don't have to call me mother if you do not wish to, but I hope that one day you can at least see me as someone that cares for you and will always be there for you."

 _Woooaaah._

"...okay."

"Wonderful! I know that we will get along splendidly; and now I think it's time for you to meet one last person. Hopefully you will be as kind to him as you have been with me. Corrin?" She looked over her shoulder.

Nothing happened.

"Come now Corrin, don't you want to meet your new family?"

Suddenly the lower part of her robes began shaking slightly. Hinoka frowned and walked around Mikoto to see what was that all about. Once she got behind her she saw a little boy with silver clutching her leg tightly.

"Hi!"

The boy yelped as his eyes shot open. Slowly he turned to face her, his ruby red eyes staring at her worriedly.

"I'm Hinoka!"

The boy didn't say anything.

"Say hi to your new sister Corrin."

Corrin simply turned his head around and buried it in his mother's robe.

"Sorry about that, he's quite shy; and, unfortunately, he hasn't been around children his age and is not used to being around so many people so he gets nervous easily," the queen explained sadly.

"Hmmm."

The princess reached out and gently began stroking his hair, causing him to stiffen before turning around to face her again.

"Your hair is really soft."

He didn't respond, but he made no attempt to stop her.

"Wanna to go play with me outside?"

"That's sound like a lovely idea," Mikoto agreed.

"Let's go," grabbed Corrin's hand, who tensed slightly but didn't pull away. He looked up at his mother, who nodded encourage. Slowly he let go of his mother's robe, allowing Hinoka to pull him away towards the garden.

* * *

"Okay no, I do NOT remember any of that."

"Hee hee, you were really shy papa!"

"Yeah he was," Hinoka grinned, "for a while it was almost impossible to get him to say anything, which was a problem anytime Mikoto wasn't around to explain what he wanted. It lead to some VERY awkward situations, especially when he had to use the bathroom."

"That's not true!" Corrin felt his face growing hot.

"Like this one time when he had drunk too much peach juice for breakfast—"

"STOP!" Corrin yelled lunging at his laughing wife, causing them to fall off the bed and roll around the floor.

"I wanna play too!" Kara squealed before jumping into the fray.

* * *

 **Author's note: another year, another terrible decision from my part.**

 **I mean why on Earth would I start another fanfic? Why would I do that after cancelling one of my old ones? Why would I do that even though I still have three ongoing stories? Why would I do that even though my free time is still as limited as ever? Why am I so stupid?**

 **I'll tell you why: because it's been almost three years since Fates came out (Jesus has it really been 3 years?) AND YET FOR SOME REASON THERE ARE BARELY ANY CORRINXHINOKA FANFICS OUT THERE! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! I've seen like maybe 3 fanfics (not counting drabbles) and the one that actually showed promise has been on hiatus for a while. I'm not faulting the author for that—trust me, I know all too well how hard it can be to keep a writing schedule when real life just wants to constantly punch you in the gut—but come ooooooon, why do you torment me like this? So one day I said, "You know what? Fuck it. If no one else is going to do it, then I'll just have to do it myself."**

 **Enter this story: a CorrinxHinoka fanfic in which they tell their daughter Kana about their life in a series of short stories about their time together. And before you ask, yes that is almost exactly the same as The Erudite's RobinxAnna story "Tokens". I didn't realize that until I was done writing the outline and half way done with this chapter. I know I have no way of proving it, but I did not consciously set out to just re-write his story with my main OTP in Fates (though I can't say the same subconsciously). Anyway I did message The Erudite about the whole thing and they were nice and understanding about it and said that there was no problem with me writing this. So, that's that.**

 **A couple of things I want to point out about the story:**

 **1) The main story takes place about 15 years after the end of the Birthright storyline, which is also how long Corrin and Hinoka have been married**

 **2) Corrin and Hinoka are in their mid 30's while Kana is 10**

 **3) There is a two year difference between all the Hoshido royals (so when Mikoto and Sumeragi got married Ryoma was 10, Hinoka was 8, Corrin was 6, Takumi was 4, and Sakura was 2)**

 **4) The "My Castle" realm in between missions does not exist (in this case everything up to Lilith saving Corrin from falling into the chasm occured as in the game. Here Corrin managed to stop himself from falling into the Bottemless Chasm after attacking Gunther and going on a rampage on the bridge)**

 **5) And finally, and most importantly, THE BABY REALMS DO NOT EXIST. Kana, as well as the other Hoshido children that will make an appearance, grew up with their parents present in their lives because they were smart enough to wait until the war was over before starting a family; and also because fuck the baby realms.**

 **So what do you thing? Do you like it? Do you think this was a terrible idea? Leave any comments and critiques below and I wil see you next time. Bye!**

 **P.S: oh and the other fic I was taking about is called "Split Destiny" by Lighting Lord Kaji (awesome name by the way). Please go show it some love!**

 **Edit: made a small change to the chapter. As explained in point 4 of the author's note, Corrin did fall into the Bottemless Chasm but managed to save himself without Lilith's help.**


	2. His Mistake

"Ow!"

"Oh for the love of…stay still Kana!" Oboro scolded as she gently wiped the blood off the pin and stuck it back into the fabric.

"But that huuuurt," Kana whined.

"Well that wouldn't have happened if you didn't fidget so much and just stood still," Oboro grabbed her pin cushion and measuring tape from the table next to them, "your mother says that you need a new outfit by the end of the week and you are not making it any easier for me. If you just hold still I can wrap this up and be done in ten minutes."

"But the said that thirty minutes ago!" Kana huffed.

The seamstress closed her eyes for a second before clasping her hand in front of her and taking a deep breath, "Kana?"

"Hmmm?" the little girl looked down at her.

Oboro's face twisted into a dark, demonic visage, " **stay still**."

"Eeep!" the red haired girl went stiff as board and looked forward.

"Thank you," the seamstress' face went back to normal as she continued to work on the fabric enveloped around Kana's body.

"Really now, was that necessary?" Hinoka asked from her seat in front of them.

"Hey if it works," Oboro shrugged.

"I swear if she comes to me in the middle of the night because of nightmares I'm holding you solely responsible."

"Aaaaand there, that should do it. You can lower your arms now Kana."

The girl didn't move.

"Kana?"

"Are you going to get mad at me again?"

"No but if you want to stay like that forever I'm not going to complain," the seamstress chuckled as she pulled off the sleeves and unwrapped the fabric from her body. Once she was done she gently folded them over her arm and turned to Hinoka, "I can have a sample dress ready in about 20 minutes, mostly to see if the size actually fits her. Would you mind waiting a little longer?"

"Sure. We don't have anything else to do for the rest of the afternoon."

"But mamaaaaaa…"

"No buts Kana. Your aunt is being nice enough to make you a new dress completely free. The least we can do is make things easier for her however we can."

"Okay, I'll just go play with Kiragi outside."

"Sorry kiddo, but he went on a hunting trip with his father; and knowing them they won't be coming back for a while," Oboro said patting her head gently.

"What?! Then what am I supposed to do?"

"You are going to wait patiently until Aunt Oboro is done with the sample dress so that you can try it on and see if it fits," Hinoka said simply.

"But—"

"Kana," Hinoka said raising her tone slightly.

"…hmph!" the girl pouted before taking a seat next to her mother.

"Okay then, I'll get started right away; I promise this will take about twenty minutes, thirty tops." Grabbing the last of her materials Oboro went to her office at the back, leaving the mother and daughter alone in the shop.

After a few minutes Hinoka turned her attention to Kana, "so, do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you behaving so poorly today?" Hinoka asked her daughter.

The little girl stared at the floor quietly before muttering, "I don't wanna be here…"

"Why?"

"Aunt Oboro is scary; I don't like her."

"Kana, tell me the truth."

"That is the truth!" Kana looked up at her mother.

Hinoka placed her hand over hers and gave it a small squeeze, "no it isn't. I know you well enough to know that you don't really think that. You love your aunt, and you're always happy whenever we come to visit her."

"B-Because Kiragi is always here to play with me."

"That's not true dear. We've been here many times when Kiragi was out with his father and you were still always happy to see Oboro, just as much as she is always happy to see you. Imagine how hurt she would be if she heard what you just said about her."

The last part stuck a chord with the girl, causing her to look down again in shame.

"I'm sorry…"

"Why don't you tell me what's really going on? Did something happen between you and your father before we came?"

Kana shook her head furiously.

"Okay, is it the fabric that we chose for your dress? Do you not like it? We can always tell Oboro we want to see something else."

She shook her head again, though this time with less force.

"Hmmm…does it have anything to do with the banquet this weekend?"

Silence.

"Is that it?"

Kana mumbled something incomprehensible.

"You're going to have to speak up if you want to talk to me dear."

"…I don't wanna go."

"Honey we've been over this. You're turning eleven soon and you need to start assisting these sort of events. You may be seventh in line for the throne of Hoshido, but that still comes with a lot of responsibilities; that's why your father and I agreed that now is the best time for you to start getting acquainted with these sorts of things."

"But I've never been to one of these banquets!" Kana looked at her mother again.

"There's a first time for everything dear."

"But I won't know anyone there!"

"That's not true. Your cousins will definitely be there, as well as some of your friends who have already started going before; and your father and I will be there of course."

"But…but…" the girl seemed to be struggling.

"What is it Kana? You know you can tell me anything."

"…I'm scared."

"Scared?" the princess asked confused, "honey, it's just a banquet."

"But you and papa keep saying that it's very important! You told me that all the other royal families are going to be there, and that I have to be on my best behaviour, and now we are buying a new dress just because of that, and…and…" she began to shake slightly.

"Kana?"

"What if…what if I do something really embarrassing in front of everyone? What if everyone hates you and papa because I do something wrong?" she plopped her face in her mother's chest.

Despite herself Hinoka couldn't help but laugh slightly, gently holding her daughter and stroking her hair, "honey you're being silly. I know you well enough to trust that you won't do anything embarrassing. You're going to be fine."

Kana looked up, "really?"

Hinoka smiled at her and kissed her forehead lightly, "I'm sure of it. Besides, even if something "embarrassing" happens it's not going to be the end of the world."

"But what if it's something really, REALLY embarrassing?" the girl frowned.

"It will be fine," Hinoka assured her calmly.

"How can you be sure?" Kana insisted.

"Let me put it this way: regardless of what you do, I can promise you that it won't be anywhere near as bad as the first time your father assisted one of these."

* * *

"Ow!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Sakura let go of the brush, causing it to dangle from the knot in Hinoka's hair.

"I believe that is the fourth one in the last minute," Azura hummed.

"That hurt like hell!" Hinoka scowled while grabbing the brush and trying to yank it out to no avail.

"Um, you're supposed to pull it down in order to get rid of the knots," Sakura said meekly.

"And you might want to use less force before you end up with a large bald spot in the middle of your hair," Azura warned to deaf ears.

"Friggin stupid brush, get off me! OW!" the red haired princess finally managed to pull the item out of her hair, which followed by a lot of pain.

"That's what happens when you don't brush your hair regularly; or, at all in your case," the dancer explained patiently while she helped Sakura finish her own hairstyle.

"Nuts to that. I'm a member of the Pegasus knights division, I don't have time to be fussing about my hair every day; besides, I like this look."

"But you need to look your best for these sorts of events," once Azura was done with Sakura's hair the youngest princess turned to her sister, "I think your hair is pretty as it is too, but if you want to start assisting these banquets again then you need to be more careful with your appearance."

"Yeah yeah I know. Doesn't mean I have to like getting ready for it," the princess muttered pulling out the stray hairs still stuck to her brush, "gods I'm going to end up bald before we're even done here."

"Let me try something," Sakura got up from her bed and opened one of her drawers, pulling out a bottle with some sort of creamy liquid inside. She pour some of it on her fingers and rubbing it all over her hands, "may I?"

"If it get this done faster and with less pain, knock yourself out," Hinoka turned her back on her sister. Soon she felt her sister's cold fingers going through her hair, massaging her scalp and gently untangling all her knots.

 _Ugh this stuff feels so gross, I hate it,_ she shuddered.

"All done! Here, have a look," her sister said handing her a mirror. Looking at her reflection Hinoka saw that her hair was now straight and slick, barely passing her ears and making it seem like she was wearing a glossy red bowl over her head.

Truth be told, she was not a fan of the look.

"Well, what do you think?" Sakura asked eagerly.

"It looks…nice," she lied smiling.

"Oh thank goodness, I thought you wouldn't like it," the pink haired princess let out a small sigh of relief.

Azura didn't say anything, but from the corner of her eye Hinoka could see that she was raising her eyebrow at her (which she simply ignored).

"But we are not done yet. All we need is some makeup and you'll be good to go!"

"Sure thing Sakura; just…not too much please?" Hinoka laughed nervously.

"Don't worry: I'll make sure it's not too extravagant," the blue haired dancer whispered in her ear while Sakura grabbed her makeup kit.

"Appreciated."

Twenty minutes later Hinoka stepped in front of a full body mirror to see if she was ready. Fortunately her sister had gone easy on the makeup, going with some light powdering, alongside some dark eyeliner and red lip liner. To Sakura's credit, it did complement the red kimono she had chosen for the occasion.

 _Still not crazy about the hair though,_ she thought to herself.

"You look beautiful big sister," she turned around to see both Sakura and Azura standing behind her, all dressed and ready to go as well.

"Thanks Sakura. You look beautiful as well."

The young girl's cheeks turned slightly pink, "t-thank you."

"And of course it goes without saying that you look gorgeous Azura."

"Perhaps, but it does feel good to hear you say it," she smiled.

"Right then, let's head out."

"Wait! You're forgetting something!" the pink haired princess opened another of her drawers and pulled something out.

"…no."

"Hinoka."

"I am not going to use that stupid thing."

"You know that you have to, every woman there does."

"Azura doesn't."

"Because I will be providing the entertainment for the evening; if you want you are always welcomed to come up on the stage and helped me."

Hinoka chewed on her lip, seriously considering which option might be less embarrassing for her.

"I know that it's been a while since you've come to one of these event, but the rules are still the same; besides, we need to be on our best behaviour today seeing how it's going to be Corrin's first event back in Hoshido," her little sister said patiently.

"…fine. Give me the…fan…please."

Smiling the pink haired princess handed over the aforementioned accessory. With a quick flick of the wrist she snapped it open and brought it up to her face, covering about half of it.

"See? You still know how it use it," Sakura said encouragingly.

 _And it still feels ridiculous,_ Hinoka thought to herself before closing the fan.

"Let's go! The others are probably waiting for us already!" grabbing her sister's hand Sakura pulled her out of the room and into the hallway with Azura following them close behind. Soon they found themselves at the main entrance of the palace, with a familiar figure with long grey hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a light blue yukata with dark blue hakama pants, leaning on the wall waiting for them.

"Takumi!" Sakura waved at their brother.

He turned his head towards their direction, "finally! I've been waiting for you guys forever! Why am I always the one who has to sit around and—" he stopped rambling once his sister came up to him, his eyebrows suddenly shooting up in surprise, "Hinoka?"

"Yeah?"

The prince blinked, unsure if he was seeing things right, "you…you're here…what are you doing here?"

"I'm going to the banquet, obviously."

"…why?"

"Because I was invited."

"Yeah but you never go to these events. Like, ever. When we were invited last year you didn't even bother coming up with an excuse to not assist; you just got on your Pegasus and left the castle for three days straight."

"Well I decided to go this year," Hinoka said calmly yet slightly annoyed by her younger brother's insistence, "I can change my mind on things if I want to. Besides, it's Corrin's first time assisting one of these banquets and I think we should all be there for him."

"Oh, of course. It's because of Corrin," Takumi said bitterly, "he comes back and now suddenly everyone is supposed to bend over backwards for him. For god's sake he's been back for less than a month and everyone is already fawning for him; Ryoma, Azura, Sakura, and now you. I suppose that's also why you put on all that makeup and did your hair for the first time ever? How long before you guys start jumping through—OW!" the young prince was cut off when his sister smacked him across the back of his head hard, "what was that for?!"

"Because you are acting like a spoiled brat," she answered, "and you are going to stop acting like that right now. I don't care if you've gone to more of these things than I have, I will send you to your room for the rest of the night if you don't behave."

"You can't do that! I'm not a child!"

"Then stop behaving like one."

"…tsk!" Takumi walked away from his sisters and took a seat on the palace steps with his back turned to them.

Hinoka took a deep breath, _calm down Hinoka, just calm down. The last thing you want to do is embarrass Corrin._

"Ah good, I see that you are all ready," a voice said behind them. Turning around they saw Ryoma and Corrin walking up towards them. Both were wearing the same garbs as Takumi, though Ryoma's was red and brown while Corrin's was white and grey.

"Sorry for the delay but Ryoma had to help me put this on," Corrin apologized sheepishly, "it's actually a lot more complicated that it looks. I hope we didn't make you guys wait too—wah!" he suddenly trip forward, falling face first onto the floor.

"Corrin!" Hinoka ran to his side, "Are you okay?!"

"Ooooow…Guess I'm still not used to these," he lifted the bottom of his pants slightly, showing the socks and wooden sandals he was wearing, "how do you people walk with these?"

Ryoma chuckled, "it gets a lot easier, I promise."

"Here, let me help you," the princess took him by the arm and helped get up and retain his balance.

"Thanks Hinoka; I really appreciaaaaaa—" his voice trailed off once he saw her in a much closer light.

"What?"

"You look…different," he suddenly blurted out.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious Hinoka couldn't help but blush slightly, "do you not like it?"

"No! I mean, no, I do not NOT like it. I mean, I just didn't expect to see you with makeup and with your hair straight," Corrin stumbled, "b-because I've never seen you like that before! You don't look bad, you look different; in a good way! Good different, like a—"

"Just shut up," Hinoka cut him off, trying her best to ignore her burning face and Takumi laughing, "let's just go…"

"R-Right, I'm sorry," the prince mumbled ashamed, "you do look nice."

"Thank you," she said quickly as they made their way out the palace behind the others.

After that they walked in silence though the streets, following a few steps behind their other siblings who seemed to be talking about something very energetically. Hinoka and Corrin, however, were unable to look at the other, let alone talk, despite the fact that they were right next to each other.

 _Come on Hinoka, say something! Just…anything to break the tension!_ She chided herself mentally _Corrin probably thinks that I'm mad at him because of what he said, but I'm not. I mean sure, it did hurt a little but that's not the point. He's never seen me like this before, so of course it would be surprising for him; besides, since when do I care about looking "good" for others? Azama makes fun of my appearance all the time and I just deck him every—_

"Thank you for letting me come."

"Hmm?" Hinoka snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Corrin, "sorry?"

"It's just…when I heard that you were all invited to this banquet I was afraid that you were going to leave me behind at the castle; I'm so happy you guys let me come too," he smiled at her.

She smiled back at him, "of course Corrin; we would never leave you behind. Why would you ever think that?"

The princes' smile faltered and he went silent. Realizing that she hit a nerve Hinoka couldn't help but berated herself internally.

"I didn't—"

"This should be fun right?" Corrin said quickly, forcing himself to smile again, "I'm really looking forward to it."

The princess could tell that there was still something bothering him, but decided not to push it, "to be honest Corrin, I wouldn't exactly call this banquet "fun". They're mostly events done by the noble houses of Hoshido so that they can mingle and talk politics while eating fancy food."

"Come on, surely it's not that bad?"

 _As far as I know they are boring as all hell, which is mainly why I stopped coming to them._

"Well looks like you're about to find out: we're here."

They arrived at the large estate, which was decorated with several lanterns lighting up the garden and the building. Corrin looked around at everything with noticeable awe, much like when he was a child, which Hinoka found to be adorable.

 _Good to see some things haven't changed,_ she thought to herself.

"Wait, where's Azura?" Corrin asked noticing that the last member of their party was nowhere to be found.

"She's probably already in there. Lord Udon—the one who is hosting this event—asked her if she could perform a musical number for the guests and she accepted; she said she was going to meet us in there after she does her dance number."

"Well if that's the case, let's go in!" the prince said excitedly heading towards the main door.

"Hold there brother," Ryoma stopped him before he could walk in, "you can't just walk in like that."

"Huh? Why not?"

"As the royal family we must wait until we are called forward so that the host can announce our arrival."

"It's all just politics, don't think too hard about it," Hinoka whispered to the confused prince, "they'll probably call you last since it's your first appearance in one of these events, so just wait until you hear your name and then walk in."

"Oh, okay."

Suddenly the inside of the estate went quiet, followed by a loud voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce the arrival of the Hoshidian royal family. First, his highness Prince Ryoma!"

The eldest brother walked through the entrance, followed by thunderous applause.

"Her highness, Princess Hinoka!"

"See you inside," she smiled at Corrin before snapping her fan open and covering her face as she walking into the estate. Once through the door she was met by a round of applause as loud as her brother while at the same time noticing many of the guests looking surprised and whispering to each other; eventually she found Ryoma and walked up next to him, waiting for their other siblings.

"His highness, Prince Takumi!"

"Her highness, Princess Sakura!"

Her two younger siblings made their entrance, slightly nervous that all the attention they were receiving, but managed to make their way towards them.

"And finally, gracing us with his presence for the first time, we present the lost prince of Hoshido returned from his kidnappers from Nohr, his highness Prince Corrin!"

Corrin walked in, greeted by another round of applause; however, this time it was much quieter than the others, with most people instead murmuring and talking to each other.

"It really is him."

"The fabled lost prince."

"All this time I thought the Queen had simply gone mad with grief after the death of Sumeragi and made the story up."

"Great, just what we needed: another pretender to the throne; and one from Nohr no less."

"But is he really Mikoto's child? He looks nothing like her or even Sumeragi for that matter."

"Perhaps he is just some illegitimate child and the whole story of him being kidnapped was just a way to cover it up."

Hinoka clenched her jaw tightly, her anger rising with each comment. Fortunately Corrin was too busy looking around awestruck to notice—at least Hinoka hoped so.

"Man, this place is amazing!" Corrin whispered excitedly once he reached his family, "the decorations, the hanging lanterns, the fountains with colored fish swimming in them!"

Feeling her anger slowly fade Hinoka chuckled, "all right Corrin calm down."

"Perhaps you should tell that to the owner of the estate," Ryoma gestured at a man heading their way, "here he comes right now."

The man wasn't very tall, slightly portly, with a thin moustache and a top knot on top of his otherwise bald head. Once he reached them he bowed slightly, "Lord Ryoma, it is quite the honor that you and the rest of the royal family could attend this event; though, unless I'm mistaken, it would seem that we have some new guests this evening," he turned to Hinoka, "my dear Lady Hinoka, I must admit that your presence here is most surprising and most welcomed. I had almost given up on the notion of seeing the eldest princess step foot in my estate."

Hinoka smiled politely, "I apologize Lord Udon but my duties as a member of the Pegasus knights have kept me busy."

"Oh come now, surely you can simply blow said duties off," the man scoffed, "you are a princess and I doubt that anyone in that little group would dare to say no to you. Besides, you should be concerning yourself with more important things, like securing the lineage to the throne of Hoshido. After all, most women your age are either already married or have at least a suitor chosen."

The princess kept her smile as her grip on her fan grew tighter, "I…appreciate the concern Lord Udon but right now I do not have time to worry about such things, especially with the looming war with the Kingdom of Nohr."

"Well you should take some time to think about it; you may be young, but you aren't exactly a spring chicken. Men tend to favor women with less seasons behind them. "

"Lord Udon I believe you haven't met our brother Corrin yet," Ryoma cut in before Hinoka could respond, shifting the lord's attention.

"Hmmm?"

"Hello, my name is Corrin; it's a pleasure to meet you," the prince smiled extending his hand.

The man looked down, "what….is he doing?"

"Brother that's not how we greet people here," Ryoma explained patiently, "forgive him Lord Udon, but Corrin is still accustomed to how people greet each other in Nohr."

"Oh right, you're from Nohr," the lord said without bothering to hide his disgust, "I suppose it's understandable that you wouldn't understand the basics of proper behaviour, seeing how you were most likely raised without being taught any sort of etiquette."

The young prince frowned, "that seems a bit harsh. I was taught all the etiquette required for the courts of Nohr; they may be different than those of Hoshido—"

"I think you mean "inferior" boy," the lord cut him off, "granted it's not their fault but at the end of the day learning etiquette from them is about the same as learning nothing at all; I dare say you could have been raised by a pack of wolveskins in the mountains and you would probably end as less of a savage."

"Enough, Lord Udon," Ryoma cut in seeing that Corrin was beginning to get uncomfortable with the way the conversation was heading, "I agreed to come to this banquet so that we could discuss with the other houses about our preparations with the upcoming war. I see that the other lords are already waiting so I suggest we begin our meeting."

"As you wish Lord Ryoma; I shall have my servants set up the conference room so that we may discuss in peace," he turned back to Corrin, "I understand that this might be very hard for you to comprehend, but I would ask that you try your best to behave while in my estate. I do have reputation to uphold," he turned around and left before the shocked prince could respond, followed by a silent but visibly angry Ryoma.

 _You fat, miserable piece of filth!_ Hinoka growled internally, rolling up her sleeve as she began walking towards his direction.

"Big sister wait!" Sakura latched onto her arm to stop her.

"Like hell I will! Did you hear how he was talking to Corrin?!"

"It's fine Hinoka; please don't get riled up on my behalf," Corrin assured her.

"Corrin he can't just talk to you like that! If Ryoma isn't going to say something then I will!"

"Hinoka you know that Ryoma can't just tell off Lord Udon," Takumi said impatiently, "he's the head of one of the most influential families in Hoshido and he has a good number of soldiers that have sworn fealty to his house. We need them in our fight against Nohr, so—"

"So we're just going to stand back while he treats Corrin like crap?!" she snapped at him.

Suddenly she felt someone take her hand. Turning her head she saw Corrin standing before her, "Hinoka, please, you don't have to get angry because of me."

"But—"

He squeezed her hand and smiled at her, "I am grateful that you care this much about me, I really am; but I don't want to cause any trouble for any of you. If what Takumi says is true then this Lord Udon sounds like he could be a real problem down the line if you cross him."

"But Corrin—"

"I already caused enough problems for Hoshido…I don't want to cause any more."

The way he said that last part caused her to tense up, realizing that he still blamed himself for what had happened in the plaza.

"…fine. I'll let it go, this time."

"Thank you."

She slid her hand out of his, "I'm going to get something to drink. I'll be right back," she left her family before anyone could say anything and began looking for something to get her mind off of things, preferably something strong.

" _I already caused enough problems for Hoshido…"_

 _No you haven't Corrin. You've done nothing wrong, and you shouldn't have to take anyone gruff because of it. Please stop thinking that._

"Why Princess Hinoka, fancy meeting you here," she heard a voice behind her; a very familiar voice.

 _Oh gods, not her…_

Turning around she saw a young woman about her age with oily black hair held in a tight bun wearing a pearl colored outfit and carrying a black and blue fan with her.

"When father said that you had accepted our invitation I was certain that he was just joking with us; after all, the last time you came to one of our events you was over ten years ago."

"Mizuki," Hinoka bowed politely at Lord Udon's eldest daughter.

"You look rather nice in that outfit; granted it certainly helps that the only other outfit is that battle attire from the Pegasus knights you wear constantly but still," she laughed, "it would appear that you do take that dreadful thing off every now and then to wash it. Guess I owe my brother five gold pieces."

 _Don't let her bait you, don't let her bait you,_ Hinoka told herself in her head. Even when they were children Mizuki had always come off as spoiled and snobbish, constantly trying to egg Hinoka and Sakura with backhand comments and then feign innocence whenever the adults were around. Hinoka had hoped that age would have changed her for the better, though now she saw that was nothing more than a wishful thinking.

Seeing that the princess wasn't reacting to her baiting, Mizuki kept on talking, "I just passed Lord Ryoma right now as he made the way into the conference room with my father. I swear he keeps getting more and more handsome every time I see him. Has he chosen a bride yet?"

"Not that I am aware of," Hinoka answered honestly.

"Oh? Well that simply won't do. After all, he is the crowned prince of Hoshido and he must procure an heir to the throne no? Though, of course, it can't be just any woman; it needs to be someone sophisticated, well versed in etiquette, and possessing the appropriate knowledge in order to help him run the kingdom."

"You wouldn't happen to fit all of those requirements, would you Mizuki?"

Pretending to be embarrassed the woman covered her face and giggled, "oh my, me? Well, I suppose I am quite well versed in those sorts of matters; and I would gladly bear Lord Ryoma a child or two if I were lucky enough to be chosen as his bride. After all, it would be my honor to serve my husband just as I have served my country."

 _Oh gods, just gag me_ the princess thought resisting the urge to vomit. Lord Udon's desire to join his family with theirs was no secret to anyone—not helped by the fact that the man himself made no attempt to hide it. Back when their parents were still alive he would often try and get close to Sumeragi and later Mikoto in order to "subtly" suggest that a family union would be beneficial for both of them; and once his children were old enough they began doing the same with the royal siblings, with about the same results.

"You know, Hinoka, you know your brother pretty well, and you are with him all the time. Perhaps you can tell me what he is looking for in a bride"

"I couldn't begin to tell you; my brother is currently too busy with our upcoming fight with Nohr to be thinking of such things, let alone discussing them with any of us," Hinoka answered truthfully, "though perhaps something he would respect and admire in someone would be their willingness and bravery to stand up and fight with him in the front lines to protect Hoshido."

Mizuki snorted, "Please, there is no need for me to lower myself to that level; after all, I have people to fight for me."

 _Which is why he has no interest in you. Take a hint._

"Oh well, perhaps it was not meant to be between me and Ryoma," she sighed, lamenting to herself, "although that might be for the best. As dashing as he may be all he seems to care about is training and fighting, and I don't think I could feign interest in those things for too long just to be with him."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hinoka lied while hiding her delight.

"So what can you tell me about Takumi?"

 _Oh. My. Gods._

"Granted he is younger but that's not necessarily a BAD thing," Mizuki mused to herself, "he might not have Ryoma's charm there is something appealing about his rougher and colder exterior."

"I've heard enough; I'm leaving," Hinoka said bluntly, not even bothering with the pleasantries anymore.

"Oh come now Hinoka, surely you can help me out a little; if I didn't know any better it would seem like you don't want me around your brother's at all."

"Goodbye," the princess said turning around and walking away.

"My, my, such a protective sister," Mizuki tutted, "but I've been known to very persistent and I have my eyes on your brothers; well, except for that weird one anyway."

Hinoka stopped, "…excuse me?"

Mizuki continued, "I do not know where your family found him but wherever that was you should have simply left him there. Just one look at him is enough to see that he's not normal: the uneven grey hair, the pointed tip ears, those blood red eyes. That's not even taking into consideration the way he carries himself; I've seen children with more poise and grace than him. Tell me, is he…you know, special?"

"Stop talking," Hinoka said through gritted teeth.

"You know I actually do feel bad for you and the others, having to deal with publically acknowledge him—"

The princess closed the gap between them before she could finish talking, grabbing a fistful of her robes and pulling her close until they were eye to eye.

"I said stop talking."

"W-What?! L-Let go of me you—!"

"One more word about Corrin and I will personally ensure that you are unable to assist any more events for a long, LONG time," she growled.

Mizuki paled at the threat, her body trembling slightly, "y-you wouldn't dare."

Before Hinoka could respond a loud scream rang out.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HE DOING?!"

 _Oh no…_

The princess shoved Mizuki out of the way, ignoring her protests as she made her way to were people were starting to gather and murmur around something. Hinoka made her way to the front of the crowd and saw what the commotion was about: next to the main table stood a very confused Corrin with a plate in one hand and a roll in the other one.

"Corrin what are you doings?!" she whispered furiously as she ran next to him.

"I….I was just getting some appetizers for everyone," the prince answered meekly, still confused as to why everyone was looking at him.

"Appe—Corrin those are not appetizers, those are part of the main course!"

"W-What? But…they're so small."

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" turning around they saw Lord Udon push his way to the front of the crowd, his face turning red once he saw Corrin, "YOU!"

"Lord Udon, I—"

"SILENCE!" the portly man barked, "I OPEN THE DOORS TO MY ESTATE TO YOU AND YOU CAN'T EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY TO BEHAVE LIKE A PROPER PERSON FOR FIVE MINUTES?!"

"F-Forgive me, I-I didn't know this was the main course. I'll just put them back," Corrin stammered nervously grabbing some of the food in his plate, causing everyone to gasp.

"DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING THE FOOD AGAIN YOU…YOU FILTHY CREATURE!" the lord shrieked, his face turning a deep shade of purple.

"That is enough Lord Udon!"

Before Hinoka could react, Ryoma broke through the people gathered around, his face devoid of any patience anymore.

"Even if this is your estate I will not stand by and allow you to address my brother like that any longer. Corrin is a member of the royal family, and he does not deserve to be treated like that by you or anyone else."

"He does not deserve to even be here!" Udon replied pointing at Corrin, "ever since that boy arrived he has been nothing but trouble for everyone around him. He may be your brother but he has no bearings of a royal, or even of a well versed individual! If you ask me it would be best for everyone if you left him in a room somewhere in the castle and he stayed there!"

Hinoka felt her patience finally snap, "you miserable old—!"

The sound of a plate being set down on the table stopped her. Looking back she saw Corrin step away from the table, before turning back to Lord Udon.

"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble," he bowed slightly, "by your leave."

'Wait, Corrin!" Hinoka called out in vain as he made his way through the crowd and towards the exit.

"Hmph, good riddance," Udon snorted. Hinoka was about to run up and punch the man right in his odious face when Ryoma suddenly grabbed him he the shoulder, his face showing anger that she had rarely seen before.

"Lord Udon, a word."

"It can wait. I have to fix this mess he—"

"Now," Ryoma said in a tone that caused the entire room to go quiet.

"R-Right milord," the man swallowed, his entire demeanor changing once he realized the situation he was in.

Before Ryoma took the other lord away he turned to face Hinoka and then eyed the door. Understanding what he meant the princess simply nodded and headed out, intent on chasing after Corrin; however she didn't have to go far, seeing how the young prince was sitting alone on a bench outside the estate.

"Corrin?"

The man looked up, his face turning into one of concern, "Hinoka? Did they kick you out because of me? They did, didn't they? Gods…this is all my fault; I can't do anyth—"

"Nobody kicked me out," Hinoka interrupted him before he could continue, "I left on my own accord; do you think I would want to stay in a place that would treat you or anyone else like that?"

"Still, you shouldn't have done that for me. Now you and the others are going to look bad in front of everyone, especially Lord Udon."

"Lord Udon can jump off a cliff for all I care, and anyone who agrees with him can follow," the princess snorted before taking a seat next to him.

Corrin looked at her shocked, "b-but his troops—"

"We'll do fine without them. Trust me, if there is one thing Hoshido has more than enough of, its people who are willing to fight for their home. Besides, we still have Ryoma, Takumi, and more importantly," she took his hand and squeezed it gently, "you."

Corrin didn't say anything.

"Besides, knowing Lord Udon most of his troops are just mercenaries that are in it for the money. Take it from someone who has, unfortunately, fought alongside people like that before; the minute their lives are in danger they turn tail and run. Really they are more of a liability than an asset. Him not lending us his troops is not the end of the war, so don't even worry about it."

The prince sighed, "that doesn't change the fact that I made a scene in there."

"You didn't know the rules and customs, because you were taken from us when you were little and you only know how to carry yourself as you would in Nohr. Look, just forget about what happened in there today. Trust me when I say that there will still be plenty of other banquets and events that we'll be invited too; and if you really want to go to them, then we'll teach you everything you'll need to know to avoid this from happening again. I can assure you that by the tie we're done you will be as sick and bored at all of this as I am."

Corrin couldn't help but chuckle at that last comment.

"But, for the time being, maybe you should let a few invitations slide," noticing that his face fell slightly at that comment she continued, "I promise I'll stay with you, since I have no interest in these sorts of events anyway. Come on, you saw how stuffy and boring it was in there. You're not missing much."

The prince let out another sight, "I'm not saying that you are wrong. It's just…I just wanted to go to a party once…"

"What do you mean?"

He turned his gaze upward towards the night sky, "back in Nohr I wasn't allowed to leave the castle I was living in, though I guess looking back now it was the castle where I was being held in. King…the king ordered all the servants and guards to ensure that I never left the castle grounds. My siblings—my nohrian siblings—tried to convince him to let me out at least once, but he never listened to them. Seeing how they couldn't do much they at least tried to entertain me by telling me stories about their lives on the outside. The ones that I loved the most where their stories about the royal events they would often attend. They would always describe these larger than life events with so much life and vibrancy that I was mesmerized; of course they noticed and they promised me that the day I was allowed out of the castle they would ensure that I would assist every event we were invited to."

"Of course that never happened, for obvious reasons."

Hinoka didn't say anything, feeling a twang of guilt in her gut.

"So when I overheard you and Ryoma talking about being invited to a banquet, I thought I would finally have the chance to go to my first big party, and that it would be just as amazing as the ones I was told about."

"That does explain why you suddenly burst into the room and practically begged to come with us," Hinoka grinned remembering the scene.

"I may have been…a bit over excited," Corrin coughed nervously, his ear tips turning red.

Hinoka laughed softly and Corrin simply shook his head and smiled (though his ears remained red).

"To be honest the one thing I was looking forward the most was dancing."

The princess looked up at him, "Dancing?"

"Do you not dance in Hoshidian events?"

"Of course we do; it's just...why was THAT the one thing you were looking forward to the most?"

"It was the thing I practiced the most, seeing how it was the most fun activity; sometimes I would even practice by myself in my room, though that was never as fun and practicing with Camilla and Elise."

"…you danced with…the princesses of Nohr?" she asked in a slightly irritated tone.

Unaware of her sudden shift the young prince continued, "yeah. You could say that they were my teachers, although that's not entire accurate either. Elise just wanted to dance all the time so she wasn't exactly the most apt to slowly guide me through the steps. Camilla was the one who took care of that in the end. She was always patient with me, not even flinching when I repeatedly stepped on her feet or that time I accidently tripped and fell on top of her."

Hinoka could feel her nails digging into the handle of her fan.

"It's a little sad that I'll never be able to show them—"

"You can show me!" Hinoka suddenly snapped, startling Corrin.

"W-What?!"

"You want to dance? Why not now?" she asked getting up while pulling on his arm.

"R-Right here? Right now?"

"Why not? Heck it should be easier seeing how it's just us two."

"I guess you're right…"

"Or did you only want to dance with your other sisters?" Hinoka asked coldly, her grip on his arm loosening.

"No! I mean, I did but….that's not….it's not like…" he stammered, struggling to fix his mistake. Taking a deep breathe he looked at her, "do you really want to dance?"

"Yes."

"Right now?"

"Yes."

"With me?"

"Yes!"

"…okay."

Before she could react he got up and moved right in front of her, taking her hand and placing his other hand on her waist before pulling her close.

"Corrin?!" the princess asked surprised and very flustered, "w-what are you doing?!"

"…you don't dance like this in Hoshido, do you?" he asked suddenly realizing his mistake.

"No!"

"Sorry!" he immediately let go of her and stepped back.

"Its fine, its fine!" she assured him while trying to calm down her racing heartbeat, "just…just don't do that with anyone else. Okay?"

Corrin didn't answer, his face even more down than before.

"Corrin?"

"Let's just go home," he mumbled before walking away; however before he could make it far he felt someone grabbing his hand and holding him in place. Turning around he saw the princess holding on tight to him with a deep blush on her face.

"You said you were going to show me."

"But I thought—"

"I was just surprised," she said quickly, "I never seen that sort of dance before."

"…I could teach you," Corrin suggested.

Hinoka blinked, "y-yeah, sure."

"Okay. Here, like this," the prince turned around and gently took her hand again and raised it slightly to the side, "and then I put my hand here," he tentatively placed his other hand on her hip, causing her face to get even redder, "a-and you put your arm around my waist."

"Like this?" she asked following his instruction.

"Y-Yeah."

They stood there holding each other awkward silence.

"Now what?"

"…I'm sorry, but this is driving me crazy," he let go of her hand, moved it up to her head and began ruffling her hair.

"H-Hey!"

He pulled his hand back and smiled, "there, much better."

"So you didn't like it?"

"It's not that. I just think that it looks better like this. It feels…right."

"Oh. Thanks, I guess."

"No problem."

"Sooo is this dance just people holding each other while standing still? Because if so then I think we might have completely different concepts of what constitutes as dancing."

"Right, sorry. Now what you do is move your foot the same way as I do, like this."

"Okay," she said following his lead.

"And just slide from side to side like this."

Soon the both of them were slowly moving from side to side, dancing throughout the garden estate to just the sound of the crickets chirping.

* * *

"Oh hey, look who's back," Corrin smiled as Hinoka and Kana walked into the kitchen. Putting down the knife and fish he was holding he gave his wife a kiss and his daughter a hug.

"Papa look! My new dress!" the girl said excitedly holding up the aforementioned garnet for her father to see.

"It looks lovely honey; I'm sure you'll be the most beautiful girl at the banquet," Corrin ruffled her hair playfully as she beamed at him.

"Kana go and put your dress in your room; you don't want it to be covered with the smell of fish."

"Oh wait, one more thing: Kiragi came by and said that he and his father came back early from their hunting trip. He said he'll be at in his treehouse if you want to go and play with him."

Kana looked up at her mother, her eyes saying everything.

"After you put your dress away you can go and play with Kiragi until dinner."

"Yaaay! Thank you mama," the little girl gave her mother a tight hug, which she returned. She then headed out the door to her room, but not before giving her father one last look and giggling.

"…okay, what did you tell her?" Corrin asked his wife.

"What do you mean?" Hinoka feigned innocently.

"I know my daughter, and I know that giggle; and when my daughter does that giggle it is never good for me. Which means, you told her something embarrassing about me."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"We had a deal; we don't tell embarrassing stories about each other unless we are both present so that there is an equal chance of both parties being embarrassed."

"Oh all right fine," Hinoka rolled her eyes, "I might have told her a little story about you while we were in Oboro's shop."

"Ha! I knew it!"

"Look she was feeling nervous about the banquet and I thought it would calm her down if I told her a funny story; and it did, so you should be thanking me."

"You couldn't wait until you came back home so that at least I could defend myself?"

"Corrin, trust me: there was no way you could have come up with an even more embarrassing story that the one I told her."

"Oh yeah? Try me."

"Lord Udon's banquet."

"…fine, you win."

"Once more," she smirked.

"That was unfair," Corrin huffed turning his back to her and crossing his arms.

"Awww don't be mad," Hinoka teased hugging him from behind and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Mad? I'm not mad; I'm just never going to talk to you again once this sentence is over," he pouted without looking at her.

"Oh don't be such a baby."

"Hmph."

"I'll make it up to you," she cooed playfully.

Corrin snorted, "sorry but there is nothing you can do that will ever make me forgi—" he stopped talking when Hinoka leaned in and whispered something in his ear, "…except that."

With lightning speed he picked up his wife and carried her bridal style while making a dash to their room.

"Corrin!" Hinoka laughed while holding on to him, "I meant after we put Kana to sleep!"

"Why wait? She's going to be out of the house for a few hours," he responded without breaking his pace.

"What about dinner?"

"We'll have salad."

Hinoka simply shook her head as her husband barged into their room and then closed the door behind them.

* * *

 **Author's note: hellooooo. It's me!**

 **Okay so I know that I said that I was going to work on "To Change the Past" and to be completely honest I am; the problem is that sometimes—a lot of times actually—I only get like five to ten minutes of free time to myself and that story in particular requires more time for me to write it. So I figured why not at least make the most of that small time by working on snippets of my other shorter fics. So yeah, other stuff might appear in between "To Change the Past" Chapters, which really just means more content in general.**

 **And so we have another chapter of the best couple in Fire Emblem Fates—yeah you heard me, fight me—with a story of when Corrin was a dork. Granted he still is a dork, but at least now he has a hot red head wife.**

 **And yes, Lord Udon and his family are OC's. They might appear a few more times, but I promise I won't be filling this story with more of my own creations (lord knows this series has enough characters already).**

 **Leave your comments and critiques below and I'll see you next time. Byeeeeee!**


	3. Her Mess

"Papa I'm hungryyyyy," Kana whined.

"I heard you the first time Kana," Corrin responded patiently without taking his eyes off the cooling rice, "but we have breakfast together as a family; as soon as your mother gets up, we'll start eating."

Kana placed her face on the table and groaned.

"Complaining is not going to make you any less hungry dear," Corrin served the rice onto a plate and put it next to all the other food he had been preparing since he got up, "try not to think about it."

Kana lifted her head and pouted, looking around the kitchen for something to take her mind of her growling stomach; unfortunately, her efforts were not proving to be fruitful. Then, she had an idea.

"Papa, how come you always do the cooking?"

"Because I like to cook."

"But was does mama never cook?" Kana asked. Thinking back, she couldn't recall a single time when she had seen her mother behind the stove other than hugging her father from behind playfully. All of her meals had either been prepared by her papa or by the cooks at the castle.

Corrin bit his lip, thinking carefully what he was going to say next while setting up the table, "your mother...she's just not a fan of cooking."

"But cooking is fun! Remember when we made that strawberry cake for her birthday?" the little girl asked.

Corrin smiled and ruffled her hair affectionally, "yes it was; but you have to understand that just because something is fun for you, that doesn't mean that it will be fun for others. People have different interest, and everyone thinks that different things are fun. You and I might enjoy cooking and baking, but a lot of other people don't; and one of those people is your mother."

"But why?" Kana insisted.

"Well...the thing is...your mother..."

"Is unable to crack open an egg without setting it on fire," Hinoka mumbled as she walked into the kitchen rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Mama!"

"Morning," Corrin kissed his wife's cheek while pulling up a bowl for her, "we were just waiting for you."

"You don't have to you know," Hinoka grabbed her chopstick as Corrin served her and their daughter some rice, "you and Kana must have been waiting for me for a while."

"Nonsense, I just finished making breakfast and Kana woke up not five minutes ago," he said, giving the girl a discrete look.

"You're a terrible liar," Hinoka chuckled, "and even worse at being discrete; I saw that."

"Oh fine," Corrin sighed before taking a seat and serving himself some cold fish, "we were waiting for maybe an hour or so. That's it."

"Again, unnecessary, especially considering how I could hear our daughter's stomach growling from the hallway," she glanced at Kana, who was plowing through her second bowl, "look at her, poor thing is practically starving."

"I'm pretty sure she is not," Corrin said sipping his tea, "besides, this might be the only time we get to spend together as a family for the rest of the day. You're leading drills outside of the capital for the entire sky division, and I promised Ryoma that I would help him receive the representatives from Izumo for the renovation of our countries' trade deals. We'll be lucky if we get back before dinner."

"Speaking of which, did you talk to Sakura yesterday about her looking after Kana?"

"Yes and she said she doesn't have a problem. She'll pick her up after class with Sophie and take them to their house until we get back."

"I'll be able to play with Avel?!" Kana asked excitedly.

"That depends on your uncle," Corrin chuckled petting her messy red hair, "though knowing Silas, I'll doubt he'll have any objection."

"I don't know Corrin. I'm still not sure that horse is child friendly; or people friendly to be completely honest."

"It's fine mama. Avel likes me! He always lets me feed him oats and brush his hair."

"All right fine; but only if Silas is nearby. I still don't trust that horse," she relented serving herself some bean paste.

"Well, now that that is all settled, let's enjoy our breakfast together," the prince smiled, pouring more tea on Kana's cup.

The young girl was about to take a sip when she remembered the conversation that she had been having with her father earlier, and how she never really got an answer to her question. She looked up at her mother and asked, "mama, why don't you like cooking like me and papa?"

"Because I'm bad at it," Hinoka responded simply while drinking her tea.

"But you always tell me that practice makes perfect, and that the only way to get good at something is to practice every day. I know! You can practice with me and papa. That way we can help you learn and then one day you'll be a great cook like papa!"

Corrin let out a small snicker before he could stop himself.

"What's so funny papa?"

"Yes Corrin; tell us what's so funny?" Hinoka eyed him.

The young man coughed nervously, "n-nothing. I just had some rice stuck at the back of my throat and was just clearing it and—"

"Relax dear, I'm just messing with you," Hinoka chuckled, "if you want, you can tell the Kana the truth."

"Really?"

Hinoka shrugged, "might as well; plus, knowing her she won't stop until we either tell her the real reason why or I try cooking again. At least this way we can avoid any casualties."

"Casualties?" the little girl cocked her head.

"Your mother is just exaggerating honey."

"Not really."

* * *

"Corrin this is amazing!" Hinoka exclaimed.

"Indeed," Ryoma agreed taking another bite, "such a savory dish, with the eggs complimenting the cheese and the vegetables. I wouldn't have thought that such combination would work so well together."

"My goodness, I haven't had one of these in years; and it's even better than I remember," Azura hummed pleasantly.

"I suppose it's passable; for a Nohrian recipe," Takumi mumble while discretely serving himself some more.

"It's soooo yummy!" Sakura squealed, fork still in her mouth.

"Guys please, it's only an omelet," Corrin looked down embarrassed, his face bright red, "you don't need to go that far."

The hoshidian royals were all currently eating breakfast, all of them still wearing their sleeping garments as they had only recently gotten up, only to find a note attached to each of their doors inviting them to the palace dining hall. Once they arrived, they found Corrin—already up and clothed—waiting for them with breakfast ready. The young prince had spent most of his morning preparing breakfast alongside his personal butler Jakob with some ingredients that he had purchased from the market the day before.

"On the contrary brother, we are being completely honest with you," Ryoma smiled, "this truly a delectable and fulfilling piece of culinary work. You should be proud of yourself."

"W-Well if you liked that then I hope you also like this," Corrin brought forth a large baking tray. Within it was something covered in a light brown crust, with heat still coming off it and a delicious, sweet smell filling the room.

"What is it?" Sakura peered in curiously.

"Oh my," Azura's eyes went wide, "is that...peach cobbler?"

"Peach cobbler?" Hinoka asked confused.

"You know it Azura?" the silver haired prince asked.

The blue songstress nodded, eyes never leaving the dish before them, "it's a dish that consists of a sweet filling made of peaches stuffed inside a baked crust. It's a very coveted dessert amongst nohrian nobles. During my stay in Nohr, my mother learned how to bake it from the royal maids and would sometimes make it for us; it's one of the few pleasant memories I have of my time there."

"Well looks like I have a high bar to reach," Corrin laughed nervously, "I'm not entirely sure if this will be as good as the one you ate at Nohr; turns out the peaches here in Hoshido are a different kind, so the taste might be off."

"If I may Corrin, I'll be happy to try it out first. After all, they haven't had peach cobbler yet so I'm sure you want it to be excellent for their first time," the songstress suggested.

"I guess that could work," the prince said before pulling out a large wooden spoon and serving some for her in a small bowl.

"Worry not Corrin; I'll be completely honest, but I won't be mean about it," she smiled at him encouragingly. She then picked a small piece and took a bite, chewing slowly.

She swallowed.

"Well?" Corrin asked anxiously.

Azura was silent. Suddenly, she snatched her bowl off the table and began furiously eating, not even bothering keeping her composure anymore.

"So...good..." she said in between bites.

"Guess that answers that."

"Damn, now I want some!"

"Hey, hey, leave some for me!"

"I hope there enough for everyone."

A few minutes later the tray was completely bare—save for a few crumbs—and the entire royal family was lying on the floor, too full to move yet all of them with the same look of satisfaction on their faces.

"Maybe next time I should use a smaller tray," Corrin said while picking it up.

"That...was the best thing...I have ever eaten," Hinoka groaned while forcing herself up, "how did you become such a good cook and baker?"

The prince shrugged, "you spend a good part of your life locked up in a castle, you find something to do with all your spare time. In my case, I used to hang out a lot in the kitchen and eventually the servants decided that if I was going to be there, I might as well help out."

"I can safely say that all that time spent paid off," Ryoma laughed as he got up, "perhaps our own cooks could learn a thing or two from you."

"Ryoma please, you're embarrassing me," the young prince said, feeling his ears get hot.

"Geez Corrin, just take the damn compliment," Takumi grumbled sitting up, "nobody likes fake modesty."

"W-What Takumi is trying to say is that you shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Sakura cut in quickly, "your food is really good, and we all really liked it."

"Indeed, that was an exceptional breakfast," Azura agreed, wiping her mouth gently with a piece of cloth, "though it does beg the question: why did you go through so much trouble to make this for us? What's the occasion? It's not anyone's birthday, or any sort of hoshidian holiday as far as I know."

"Um, well..." Corrin shifted nervously, "I just...I wanted to thank you. All of you."

"What do you mean?"

The young prince looked down, "I-I know that this past few month has been hard ever since I came back. I've caused you all nothing but trouble so far, yet you've all been so patient and caring with me. I wanted to give you all something that should just how grateful I am for everything you've done."

The red haired princess frowned, "Corrin we've been over this: you haven't done anything wrong, and we are more than happy to have you back with us."

"Hinoka is right brother," Ryoma walked up to the young prince and placed his hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up "everything that has happened was the doing of King Garon and his lust for power. You are not the villain here, and I am certain that had you known the circumstances you would have done everything in your power to prevent the upcoming confrontation with Nohr; but more importantly, you are family, and no matter what we will always be glad to have you with us again."

The others nodded in agreement—Takumi simply looked away—and Corrin gave a small smile, "thank you, everyone. That does put me at ease."

"Then again, if you wish to pamper us with more delicious food in the future, no one here would complain," the high prince laughed while slapping his shoulder playfully.

"I'll keep that in mind; though right now I should probably clean up," he responded as he began collecting everyone's bowls.

"Very well then. Once you are done, I would ask that you join me and Takumi for some training and sparring; with war looming over the horizon, we must all be ready to defend our home and its people," with a final nod Ryoma left the dining area.

"Let's see if you are really fit to carry Yato with you," the young archer scoffed before getting up and following his older brother.

With one final smile towards the two princesses, Corrin made his way towards the kitchen, presumably to clean up after the others. Sakura was about to get up when she noticed that Hinoka's gaze was fixed towards the kitchen, sadness etched on her face.

"Big sister? Is everything all right?"

"He's lying," she said quietly.

"What?"

"Corrin; he was lying when he said that he was at ease with what Ryoma said. He still blames himself for everything that has happened; and he still thinks he needs to make up for it."

"How can you tell?"

"Haven't you noticed how he's been acting this past month? The way he constantly tries to please us while never asking for anything in return? Hell, he barely asks for anything at all; Ryoma had to instruct Kaze to follow him around the market because Corrin refuses to ask any of us to accompany him there. He still thinks he's a burden to us, and he's trying to fix that any way he can."

"But that's not true! Corrin could never be a burden to us!"

"I know that. We all know that. Even Takumi doesn't really think that, despite the way he's been acting; the problem is that Corrin still believes that's the case. What if he never stops thinking that? After all these years, we finally have Corrin here with us again, and yet at times like he is still so distant from us. What if...what if we never really get him back?"

"Well...what can we do?"

* * *

" _What can we do?"_

Hinoka shifter her weight onto her practice naginata and let out a tired sigh as her sister's question still rattled inside her head. It had been a couple of hours since they last spoke, and she still didn't have an answer. She had been racking her brain nonstop for something, anything, but still came up with nothing. The main problem was that she barely knew Corrin, or rather the "new" Corrin. In the years that they had been separated, he had grown into a young man, and she only knew him back when he was still a boy. He had changed—they all had— and they had barely been back together for a little over a month. Not helping was the fact that he was still hesitant to talk about himself, as if he was scared that he might let something slip that they would consider bad.

"Lady Hinoka? Is everything all right?"

"Hmm?" the princess turned to face the person talking to her, a young woman with blue hair holding a bow in front of her.

"You look like you're daydreaming, but about something bad," she hummed lazily, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine Setsuna," she lied as she stood up straight, "just a bit tired."

"Maybe you should take a nap; naps are nice," the archer let go of the bow string, causing the arrow to whiz through the air and hit the bullseyes, "oh! I hit it again!

Hinoka was about to tell her retainer that she didn't need nor want a nap, when she suddenly had an idea.

"Hey Setsuna? What do you do when you are down?

"Hmmm? Well...I usually just wait for you to find me and pick me out of the trap Lady Hinoka."

"What? No, I don't mean when you are literally down in a hole or something like that. I mean when you are feeling down; when you are sad, what do others do to cheer you up?"

"Uuuum... they usually pull me out of a trap..."

"No, Setsuna, that's not..." the princess let out an exasperated sigh, "I don't think I'm getting through to you."

"Sorry Lady Hinoka, but I don't really get sad. I think. Maybe? I don't know..." Setsuna said, seemingly talking more to herself than her liege towards the end, "after all, you and Azama are so nice to me. I'm so lucky to be your retainer. I don't see why I would be sad. Maybe you should ask Azama."

"Setsuna I don't think he has any feelings to begin with; plus, knowing him, he would probably just make fun of me for asking something like that."

"You think Azama looks like a fun person?"

"How about before you became my retainer?" she pushed on, knowing that getting anything through Setsuna's head was about as easy as herding cats, "surely there had to be sometime when you were little that you needed cheering up."

"Weeell...there was that time I broke my first bow...that was sad."

"And?" Hinoka asked a bit impatiently.

"Ummmm...my mother made me some cake. It was goood..."

 _Cake huh?_ the red head thought to herself, _Corrin did say that he liked cooking; and he is always buying sweets whenever he goes down to the market. So if I were to bake something sweet for him, he would then cheer up!_

"All right, that settles it!" she declared, setting her nagita back with the others.

"Hmmmm?" the archer turned towards her.

"I'm going to bake a cake! And it's going to be the greatest cake that anyone has ever eaten!"

"Yaaaay, cakes are nice..."

"I'm going to make it super sweet, and softer than a cloud, and with so much icing on top that—"

"Do you know how?"

"Huh?"

"Do you know how to bake a cake Lady Hinoka?"

"...n-no," she muttered embarrassed.

Actually, it wasn't that she didn't know how to bake a cake. She didn't know how to bake period; or do anything related to cooking for that matter. She had set all of that aside to focus solely on her training after Corrin was kidnapped, and that had been several years ago. She never set foot in the kitchen unless it was while looking for someone. She had never even given it a second thought before, but now she couldn't help but feel that maybe it wouldn't have been bad idea to at least learn some basics of baking.

"Maaan, and I got all excited for nothing," she sighed.

"Oh...that's sad. Your cake sounded good, and I really wanted to try it..."

The princess was about to grab her weapon once more to continue training when an idea came to her, "wait. Setsuna, do you know how to bake?"

"Maybe?"

"Maybe? What do you mean by maybe?"

"I never really baked before; but I do sometimes watch the servants at my house when they cook and bake... Sometimes I just sit there for hours watching before anyone notices I'm there...when they do, they sometimes give me a cookie. They're so nice..."

 _Better than nothing._

"Okay then; Setsuna, you're going to help me bake that cake."

"I am?" she tilted her head confused.

"Yep! If you spent so much time in the kitchen like you say you did, then you must have stored a lot of information about cooking and baking into your head, even subconsciously. You're probably a secrete baking genius!"

"I see...I guess that makes sense..."

"Your main problem is that you're very scatter brained and have a hard time focusing on one thing. Therefore, I will be there and help you bring out your culinary side. With your knowledge and my determination, there is no way that we won't be able to make something as simple as a cake. So what do you say?"

"Sounds fun...okay..."

Yes! Let's do it!" she marched towards the kitchen with her retainer not far from her, "we are going to make the greatest cake that anyone has eaten in this castle; after all, how hard can it be to bake a simply cake.?"

* * *

 **Twenty minutes late.**

"Setsuna?! Why is there a pillar of fire in front of you?!"

"Oh...I don't know..." she responded absent mindedly while starring at the torrent of flames currently bursting from clay oven in front of her and singeing her clothes.

Acting quickly, Hinoka pulled her retainer back before removing her apron and using it to try and smother the flames. Eventually she managed to quell them, but unfortunately the poor article of clothing was completely ruined.

Turning back to her friend—who was currently rolling an egg around on the table with her finger—she asked, "what happened?! All I asked you to do was to put some wood on the oven so that we could pre-heat it!"

"I did; but the wood was taking too long to catch fire. So I thought that maybe it would go faster if I added some oil to it," she responded before the egg slipped past her and felt to the ground, cracking open, "oops."

The red haired princess was about to ask her how much oil she used when she noticed a bottle lying next to the egg yolk on the floor. She picked it up and shook it a few times, confirming her suspicions.

"Setsuna did you use the ENTIRE bottle of oil?"

"Yeah...I figured that more oil would lead to more fire...and it worked..." she smiled.

"Oh my gods," she buried her face in her hands, "okay, new plan. Just stand behind me and wait until I ask for you to hand me something. Understood?"

"Okay..." the archer nodded following her liege back to her station, where she was currently mixing something in the bowl, "is that the cake mix Lady Hinoka?"

"Yep, sure is!" she beamed proudly, "took my a couple of tries, but I finally got the batter to have the same consistency as it said in the recipe. Once I'm done mixing it, we'll pour it on a mold and put it in the oven. Want to try it?"

"Sure..." grabbing a wooden spoon she scooped some of the bowl's contents before giving it a lick.

"Well?"

"...this is disgusting Lady Hinoka."

"What?!" she took the spoon from her retainer and scooped some of the mix before putting it in her mouth; almost immediately she loudly spat the whole thing out, going as far as to drop the bowl so that she could grab some napkins and scrap her tongue with them, "good lord, what the hell was that?!

"Told you..."

"B-But I don't get it. I followed the recipe exactly as written. I even added extra sugar to make sure that it came out even sweeter!"

"This sugar?" Setsuna asked while picking up a clay pot nearby.

"Yes."

The archer took a pinch of the contents out and placed it on her tongue, "...that's salt. You added salt to your mix Lady Hinoka; and a lot of it apparently."

"Are you serious?! Damn it, and I thought I finally got it right!" she slumped down on the table and dropped her head into her arms.

"Maybe we should stop baking Lady Hinoka. It looks like we are not very good at it."

"You think?" came a muffle reply.

"Do you want to start cleaning up the mess?"

The princess didn't answer, he head still buried in her arms.

"Hello? Is there someone in here—woah!"

Looking up Hinoka saw a familiar face with long pink hair and a maid uniform staring at the mess they had made in the kitchen.

"Hello Felicia," she muttered halfheartedly.

"Hiiiiii..."

"What happened here?"

"We tried baking a cake. It didn't go very well," Setsuna answered.

"I can see that. Was it some sort of special cake that is really hard to make or something?"

"No...it was just a vanilla cake..." Setsuna answered while Hinoka buried her head even further.

"Hmm," Felicia looked over at the table were some of the ingredients were still left out, "maybe you should try using brown sugar instead of normal sugar next time. Also, this flour seems a bit too starchy if you want to make a cake with a softer feel to it; maybe you could tell the servants to buy another type of flour next time they go to the market."

The princes' head perked up, "that's it!"

"Huh?"

Jumping out from the chair, she grabbed Felicia's shoulders, "you can help us bake a cake!"

"Me?"

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that before? You're one of Corrin's personal retainers, meaning that you must have spent time with him in the kitchens when he was learning how to cook and bake. You probably even helped him more often than not, right?"

"W-Well yes, that is true. Although to be honest Jakob helped him more than I did."

"But you do know something, right?"

"Yes but—"

"Felicia please," Hinoka took the maids hands into hers, "even if you only know the basics, it's clearly more than what Setsuna and I can do right now. Please help us this one time, and I promise you we will learn so that we don't bother you again in the future. We need you Felicia."

The pink haired girl bit her cheek, unsure of what to say. Most people didn't ask her for help when it came to chores—for good reason, sadly—but she had vowed to do everything in her power to get better so that she could continue serving Lord Corrin; and, if she were to be completely honest, it felt nice to have someone ask for her help instead of just telling her to go get Jakob for one.

She smiled and grasped the princes' hands tightly, "all right, I'll help you!"

"Yes, excellent!" Hinoka said, her eyes brimming with passion once more.

"Yaaaaay..."

"Now let's bake that cake!"

* * *

 **15 minutes later.**

"Ack! I dropped the butter!"

"Don't worry Lady Hinoka! I got it! No wait, now. No wait, now! Why...can't...I...grab...IT!

"Felicia look out! The floor—

"WAH!"

CRASH

"...Lady Hinoka...a little help?

"Setsuna!"the princess ran to her retainer, her clothes pinned against the wall by several knives that had been sent flying when Felician had fallen and knocked over a tray. After a few seconds she managed to get her retainer down from her predicament.

"Thaaaanks...

"Oh this is hopeless!" Felicia wailed as her faced scrunched up, "I thought I would be able to something as simple as help bake a cake, and all I've done is make an even bigger mess! I'm so...so...useless!"

"Felicia wait! It's not your fault...well, not entirely..."

"Oh dear...now she's curling up under the table," Setsuna muttered as they both watch the pink hair girl hug her legs against her chest and sob pathetically.

"Hey is everything all right in there?" a voice called from outside the kitchen as footsteps got closer, "I heard a loud crash and—good lord!"

Rinkah stood at the doorway, eyes wide as she took in the sight before her. Milk and butter all over the floor, Setsuna's clothes slightly singes and covered in flour, Hinoka's hair covered in egg yolk, and Felicia rocking herself back and forth under the table.

"Was there some sort of battle here?" she asked incredulously.

"No," Hinoka sighed while picking out the egg from her hair, "we're just trying to bake a cake."

"...with explosives?"

"Not now Rinkah, please?" Hinoka took a seat while Setsuna tried to coax Felicia from under the table, palming her face in her hand, "I'm not in the mood for jokes."

"Sorry, didn't think it was a touchy subject," the girl answered honestly, "how long have you guys been going at it?"

"About an forty minutes," the archer responded while giving the maid a napkin to blow her nose with.

"Well see, there's your biggest mistake: you didn't call for me thirty minutes ago."

"What?"

The warrior pounded her chest proudly, "you're looking at one of the best scavengers in the entire Flame Tribe. Ever since I was a kid I've known how to survive in the wild on my own, which meant learning how to cook my own food. I can track, hunt, and cook a wild boar in less than 20 minutes; hell, just give me ten more minutes and I'll have boar stew ready to eat."

"While that does sound impressive Rinkah we aren't exactly cooking wild boar here; we're trying to bake a cake."

"I know that," she scowled, "but come on, you can't actually believe that baking a silly little cake is harder than making boar stew in the wild. Do you know how many steps that has? I'll tell you how many: a lot of them. Also, some of those steps include skinning the blasted thing and removing its organs. Compared to that, making a cake should be a...well, a piece of cake."

"I don't know; maybe we should just clean up and leave it for another day," Hinoka muttered.

"Come on princess, I know that you aren't a quitter. Think of it like a battle: you can either turn tail now like a coward, or you can stand your ground push forward until you win. I think we both know which is the better option, no?"

The princess thought about it for a moment. She turned her attention to Setsuna, who had finally coaxed Felicia from under the table and was now helping her whipe the flour from her outfit. Her instincts were telling her that the best course of action was to just cut her loses before things took a turn for the worse.

 _But I really want to make that cake..._

"...you're right, we can't quit now! We may have made a lot of mistakes, but now we have someone with actual cooking experience to help us. This time we can't fail!"

"Now you're talking!"

"Setsuna! Felicia! You ready to try again?"

"If that's what you want Lady Hinoka..." the archer hummed.

"Y-Yeah...i-if you guys s-still trust me," the maid hiccupped while wiping her eyes.

"Then let's do this!" Rinkah clenched her fist, her eyes ablaze, "let's bake this stupid cake!

* * *

 **Ten Minutes Later.**

"GAAAAAH! Why isn't this stupid batter mixing!" Rinkah yelled while furiously stirring the contents in the bowl.

"Rinkah calm down! You're spilling it everywhere!"

"BECAUSE IT WON'T MIX!" she roared, increasing her speed.

"Rinkah listen to me: you accidently used olive oil instead of—OOF!" Felicia was cut off when the fighter accidently elbowed her in the stomach hard enough for the air to rush out of her and for her to fall on the ground.

"Felicia! Oh gods I'm sorry I—oops," Turning around to see if the maid was fine, she accidently let go of the bowl while her arm kept stirring furiously, causing it to fly out her hand and towards and oblivious Setsuna.

"Setsuna look out!" Hinoka cried out.

"Hmm?" the blue haired archer turned around just in time for the bowl to hit her in the face, most of its contents pouring over her while the rest splattered across the wall and floor. She paused for a moment before licking some of the mix around her mouth, "this taste even worse than before..."

"I can fix this! I just need another bowl and some more eggs. Third time's the charm, right?"

"Actually...it's...the fourth..." Felicia said between gasps.

"Fine whatever! The point is—"

"Even Lady Hinoka's mix wasn't this bad..."

"Yes I get it—"

"Can someone...help me...please?"

"My hair is sticky..."

"Okay if I can just crack the eggs without getting any eggshells in like last time—"

"ENOUGH!" Hinoka roared, causing everyone to be quiet and look at her, "that's it, we're done! This was clearly a mistake; none of us has the foggiest idea of what to do except apparently destroy the kitchen. We're stopping this right now and cleaning up this mess. Understood?"

"Geez, fine. Just calm down princess. It's just a cake," Rinkah raised her hands in front of her.

"Just...let's just cleaning up," Hinoka muttered while picking up the eggshells lying around the floor. The others soon followed suit, except for Setsuna. The archer simply stared at her liege, noticing that her face had gone from angry to sad.

Walking up to her, she tugged on her sleeve in order to get her attention, "Lady Hinoka...why did you want to make a cake?"

The princess didn't answer.

"It wasn't for you...was it? You wanted to make it for someone else? Someone special?"

"What does it matter? I couldn't even do it. Forget I ever asked about it," she said without looking up.

"...no."

"Huh?" the red haired princess felt her hand being grabbed and then pulled up.

"We are going to make that cake," Setsuna said with surprising determination.

"Setsuna you know that's not going to happen; just look at this place," she said dejectedly.

"That was before we knew why you wanted to make it Lady Hinoka. You should have told us sooner that you were making it for someone special."

"What does that—"

"Wait, it's for someone special?" Felicia interjected, "why didn't you say that before; that makes all the difference!"

"It does?"

"Hell yeah it does!" Rinkah cut in, "everyone knows that whenever you try to do something for someone special, regardless of what it, you word harder than you have ever worked before! Even I know that."

"That's a nice sentiment and all, but that still doesn't change the fact that none of us can actually cook."

"Maybe we don't have all the knowledge as individuals, but we can each contribute something," Felicia said eagerly, "I may be a klutz, but I still know everything there is to know when it comes to the technical aspects of cooking!"

"I know I'm not good at knowing what mixes with what, but if butterfingers here tells me what to do, I'll follow it to the letter and not screw up," Rinkah said encouragingly.

"And I can help you Lady Hinoka. I can always tell when you are about to make a mistake, so I just need to stop you before doing it; and you can do all the dangerous stuff that I usually have trouble with. Shall we?" she gently pulled Hinoka's hand towards her, with Felicia and Rinkah also putting theirs on top.

 _This is a bad idea, right? We already tried three times and so far the only thing that we've managed to accomplish is destroy the kitchen._

 _But...if what they say is true..._

 _No, it's impossible. There is no way that we are suddenly and magically be able to bake a cake just because it's for someone special. Even if it's..._

She thought back to how down Corrin had been since the incident at the plaza, and how happy he had been when she and the others were eating the food that he had made for them.

"...all right. One more shot."

"Yaaaay..."

"All right!"

"Hell yeah, let's do this!"

* * *

 **Five minutes later.**

"OH DEAR GODS WHAT IS THAT THING!? IS IT GROWING?! IS IT MOVING!? OH GODS IT HAS SETSUNA! SOMEBODY PULL HER OUT BEFORE IT SWALLOWS HER WHOLE! GRAB HER AN RUN! RUUUUUN!"

* * *

"Haaaaa..." Hinoka sighed dejectedly. She was currently sitting alone in the courtyard under one of the sakura trees holding a plate with an off color sludge (the only "salvageable" thing from the kitchen disaster).

"Hinoka!"

She lifted her head and saw Corrin running towards her, his face filled with concern, "I just heard from Jakob that there was a fire earlier! Are you all right?!"

"I'm fine Corrin..."

"What happened?! Was it a surprise attack from Nohr? Or maybe some wayward ninja's from Saizo's clan? Was it those invisible soldiers that—"

"It was this," the princess interrupted him and showed him the "food" on the plate.

"Huh?" the prince looked confused.

"I...I was trying to bake...and I ended up destroying the kitchen," she muttered, clearly embarrassed.

"Come on, it couldn't have been that—"

"The fire was the least destructive part," she said bluntly.

"Oh...well at least it looks good," he said encouragingly while sitting next to her, "what is it? Some sort of hoshidian dish?"

"It was supposed to be a cake..." Hinoka muttered, suddenly feeling worse.

 _Oh boy,_ "look, these things happen when you are new at something. It even happened to me when I was just starting out. I remember this one time when I accidently used soap instead of sugar for some cookies, and because of that everyone was shooting out bubbles from their mouths after they had eaten them."

"Did that really happen?"

"O-Of course it did!"

Hinoka simply gave him a look.

"...okay fine, it wasn't me. It was Felicia; and it was only a few months before we left Nohr."

"Haaaaaaa," Hinoka dropped her head, a dark cloud practically hanging over her.

The young prince took her plate and set it aside, "Hinoka, it's not the end of the world."

"It's embarrassing. I mean, who doesn't know how to bake something as simple as a cake?"

"Lot's of people."

"Not you. You could probably whip something amazing without even trying."

"True, I am good at baking and cooking; but I'm terrible at so many other things. Remember when Sakura tired to teach me how to make those paper cranes the other day? The only thing that came out of the was a hand filled with paper cuts. Or what about the time I tried to help Oboro with her sewing. I pricked my fingers so many times that I ruined the fabric with my blood and I spent the rest of the day running away from her."

Hinoka couldn't help but let out a small chuckle from that last comment.

"See? Everyone has things that they are horrible at; but at the same time, people have other things that excel at. You are no different. Your handling of the lance is second to none in all of Hoshido, and I have never seen anyone take to the skies with such skill and grace. You're tenacious, hardworking, and an inspiration to so many people both in and out of the battlefield; and at the same time you are one of the kindest and most caring person I have ever known."

"Laying it a bit thick aren't you?" she asked while feeling her face grow hot.

Corrin took her hand in his causing her to look at him, "you are an amazing person Hinoka, and not being able to bake a cake is not going to change that. Or at least, it doesn't to me."

The princess didn't say anything at first, causing Corrin to think that perhaps he had said too much and made her uncomfortable. He was about to say that he was sorry when she pulled him in for a hug, surprising him. Once the shock was gone, he smiled and hugged her back, a feeling of warmth spreading through him as he did.

 _It like when Camilla used to hug me back in Nohr...and yet...not quite..._

"Thanks Corrin," she said while pulling away.

"Really, it was nothing."

"Still, it would have been nice if I could at least make you that cake."

"You were trying to bake a cake...for me? Wait, is it because I made you all breakfast this morning? If you feel like you need to repay me for that, then don't worry Hinoka. I just did that on a whim as a present for you guys."

"It's not that. I just...I just wanted to let you know that we care about you. We always have, and regardless of what you may think, that hasn't changed; and it never will."

"O-oh," Corrin stammered flustered. He looked at the thing on the plate that he had set down. It was the same color as his hair, with specks of brown and black scattered through it, it gave off a peculiar smell, and he was certain that he saw it move a couple of time.

He snatched it off the plate and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Corrin?!What are you doing?!"

"Mmmmph! Mmmph!" he let out while trying to force it down.

"Stop! You don't have to do this!"

"What...are...you...talking...about? It's delicious," he managed to choke out. With great effort he managed to swallow it all, followed by him struggling to not break down in a coughing fit. After a while, he looked at Hinoka, his eyes slightly teary and twitching.

"So good..." he said weakly.

Hinoka simply blinked, shocked at what just happened. Then she burst out laughing.

"Gods, you can be such a dork at times," she shook her head. Suddenly, she felt him lean his head on her shoulder, causing her to clamp up and get red in the face, "C-Corrin?"

He didn't say anything.

Feeling her heart beating faster, she closed her eyes and leaned on him as well, "thank you Corrin. It means a lot to me."

"Hrrrrgg...gggguuuuhh..."

"Corrin?" confused she straightened herself up and looked at him, her eyes going wide, "CORRIN?!"

The prince's eyes had rolled back into his head and his mouth was currently spurting out foam while letting out incomprehensible gibberish.

"OH GODS! CORRIN WAKE UP! WAKE UP! HEALER! SOMEONE GET A HEALER!"

* * *

"So, after a week of recovery, I tried helping your mother improve her culinary skills, with about the same results," Corrin concluded over a laughing Kana, "eventually we decided that it simply wasn't for her, and that she didn't need learn it anyways. Besides, to me she was always perfect," Corrin smiled at his wife.

"Also we couldn't in good conscious keep asking Jakob to try out my dishes. At one point we were afraid that his face would stay green indefinitely," Hinoka chuckled.

"Anyway, that enough story time for today," Corrin got up and took everyone's bowls before putting them in the washer, "you need to get ready to go to school young lady. You know Yukimura does not tolerate late students, even if they are part of the royal family."

"Yes papa," Kana nodded as she got up. She was about to go to her room to grab her things when she stopped. She turned around and ran up to her mother, giving her a big hug. Surprised at first, Hinoka returned it warmly.

"Mama?"

"Yes dear?"

The little girl looked up at her and smiled, "I would eat your food, no matter how bad it was."

"Aw, thank you dear," Hinoka smiled and kissed her forehead.

"But no, you wouldn't."

* * *

 **Author's Note: you ever had an idea that seemed good when you came up with it, but then it didn't really pan out the way you want it when you wrote it, but by the time you realized it you were already ¾ done with the story and it had been over a year since you last updated it and you didn't want to throw it all out because life is an empty void that will consume you the first chance it gets and you need to hold on to some degree of sanity to survive? Yeah me neither.**

 **Anyway, hi! Welcome back! It's been a while. You would think I would update this more seeing how it "supposedly" contains my favorite pairing in fates. Unfortunately, these sort of thigs are out of my control. As much as I enjoy writing fanfic based on strategy/dating games, I unfortunately can not live off at that (unless I were to open a for writing fanfiction, but even I am not about to stoop that low).**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed this update, because I don't know when the next one is coming. Hell, I haven't really decided which story is going to be next. Guess it's time to pull out the old decision-making dart board.**

 **As always leave comments and critiques below and I will see you next time. Bye!**


	4. Never Again

Hinoka's eyes shot open. Something was wrong.

"Nnnngh..."

That sound. She had heard it countless times before over the years.

 _Gods no, please; not again._

She quickly sat up, her eyes still not fully adjusted to the dark; it didn't matter though, since she already knew what was happening and what she needed to do. She quickly turned to her husband's side of the bed, her heart dropping upon seeing what she had feared the most.

Corrin was still asleep, yet he looked anything but peaceful. He was tossing and turning in his sleep, his muscled tensing up every now and then as if he was in pain. His brow was furrowed and beginning to sweat, his breathing was fast and erratic, and his jaw was clenching tightly, only opening slightly at times to let out a small whimper.

Acting quickly, Hinoka leaned in and gently took her husband's face in her hand, "Corrin! Corrin listen to me!"

He didn't seem to hear her; in fact, it seemed like he was only getting worse with every passing moment.

"It's just a dream, you're having a bad dream!" she tried again, hoping that her words would get to him. She was tempted to simply wake him up, but the one time she had tried that her husband had been so startled that he had transformed into his dragon form out of shock, thrashing around the room wildly and unable to revert back for several hours. As much as it pained her to see him in such state, she knew that the best thing she could do is try to sooth him until he woke up on his own.

"No...please..." he whimpered, tears beginning to leak out from the corners of his still closed eyes.

"Corrin..." she squeezed his hand before leaning in and gently placing her forehead against his, "it's okay. It's just a dream, and I'll be here when you wake up..."

Upon her touching his forehead, the prince's body began to slowly ease up and some of the tension began to dissipate. However, his breathing was still heavy and he was still crying in his sleep, repeating the same phrase over and over.

"I don't want to go..."

* * *

"Nnngh," the young boy sat up from the bed, rubbing his eyes in discomfort. Blinking a few times, he looked around until his eyes got used to the darkness and he found what he was looking for: the door to the latrine. He carefully moved Hinoka's arm from his—the red hared girl had fallen asleep clutching it against her—and maneuvered off the bed in order to not disturb the others Hoshido children; Takumi and Sakura had fallen asleep on the other side of the bed, while Ryoma was sleeping sitting up on a chair across from the bed (at his own insistence).

His stomach gurgled again, causing him to tiptoe faster into the latrine. He probably shouldn't have eaten so much of that green spicy sauce that they had brought for dinner; but Ryoma was eating it like it was nothing and he had wanted to prove that he was just as cool as the oldest child. Though that probably wasn't the what the others thought seeing how he had immediately guzzled an entire pitcher of water to numb the burning pain he felt. He had hoped that would be the worst of his bad decision, but his churning stomach said otherwise.

At least it made Hinoka laugh; at him, most likely, but it was always nice to see her laugh.

Quickly—but quietly—he made his way into the room and then closed the door behind him before removing his pants and taking a seat on the chamber pot. Letting out a sigh of relief he simply sat there in silence, closing his eyes while waiting to be done.

"I must protest milord."

His ears perked up at the sound of someone talking outside. He knew that voice: gruff, harsh, and intimidating by nature. It belonged to the scary man that was always following the king, even when he was out of sight because he was hiding in the shadows.

"Asking for a secret meeting during the middle of the night, in neutral territory where we have no troops to back us up? This is obviously some sort of trap from Garon to catch you off your guard before killing you off."

"Are you suggesting that I am unable to fend for myself Saizo?"

Another voice. This one more calm and poise, yet at the same time possessing a clear air of authority to it. Sumeragi, father of the Hoshidian siblings and the ruler of Hoshido.

"Of course not sir. Your skills with a blade are second to none, and I have no doubt that in a straightforward duel you would cut down your opponent before they even drew their weapon; but when it comes to Nohrians, one never knows what tricks they might be hiding up their sleeves. How many times in the past has Hoshido tried to extend and olive branch to Nohr, only for them to slip a hidden blade in their sleeves in order to go for the kill."

"I will concede that that has been true in the past; but you must also acknowledge that King Garon has proven himself to be less bloodthirsty than his predecessors. After all, we have seen a decline of battles and skirmishes between our nations in the past 20 years since he ascended the throne."

"Perhaps at first; but sire need I remind you that our informants have brought to out our attention that for the past 5 years Nohr has been steadily growing their army once more? More importantly, my spy network tells me that they have been strengthening the troops stationed at the border for the better part of the past year, almost as if they are preparing for the right moment to strike us."

"We do not know that for sure Saizo."

"But we can not disprove it either sire."

Silence.

"Your skepticism is valid Saizo. Believe me, I have also considered all of this and will be bringing this up with Garon; but we cannot ignore the possibility that Nohr has a valid reason for mobilizing its troops. Such as the reports about a growing group of survivors of the Koha clan planning on smuggling weapons and mercenaries into Nohr. Or do those reports hold no truth to them?"

Silence.

"Very well. I concede that perhaps Nohr has a valid reason for moving its troops at the border, but I insist that this supposed meeting between the two of you is nothing more than a trap. Why else would he insist that you meet him in the dead of night?"

"Because he wishes to talk about peace, true peace, between Hoshido and Norh; and we both know that both nations have groups of people who do not wish to see that happen. You know as well as I do Saizo that certain families in Hoshido have benefitted from this centuries long conflict. Families who would not hesitate to do everything in their power to continue to fan the flames of war. I have no doubt that Nohr could have the very same problems within their own borders."

"Then let them deal with said problems on their own sir. If Garon really feels strongly about peace, then he should not be hiding it from the people. Demand that he bring this issue to light, in front of everyone, and then have each one of you deal with the fallout respectively. Regardless of what happens to Garon, I have full confidence that you will be able to strike down anyone who dares to undermine the peace you are striving for."

"It is not for my own safety that I am afraid of, but rather my family's safety. I have no doubt that if there are people in Hoshido who wish to undermine my authority, they are cunning and dishonorable enough to go after my family in order to get to me."

"Milord, I can assure you that as long as the Saizo clan exists no harm will come to the royal family."

"I know, which is why I am ordering you and your sons to stay here and protect my children should the worse come to happen."

"What?! Lord Sumeragi, you can't seriously be considering telling me to stay behind while you meet Garon alone!"

"Of course not; I'm ordering you to stay behind," the king responded firmly.

"Milord!"

"The safety of my family—my children—will always take priority over my own."

"My sons are more than capable of looking after their safety on their own for one night."

"Ordinarily I would not doubt Saizo's and Kage's abilities, especially if you have been training them; but, like you said, we cannot discard the possibility of this being some sort of trap from Garon's part. If he does have something planned against me and my family, I want to ensure that no harm will come to my family."

Silence.

"Very well...if that is what you wish. Saizo, Kage, and myself will make sure that no harm comes to the children. That I swear to you milord."

"Good."

Silence.

"It's almost time. I must go now. Hopefully, Garon does wish for peace as much as I do and this shall be the beginning of an era of true peace between our two nations; and if not..." his voice trailed off, "if I do not return, take my children back to Hoshido as soon as possible and tell my wife what has happened; she will know what to do."

"Understood. I shall await your return milord."

 _What were they talking about?_ The young prince thought confused. He heard everything, but barely understand anything (not helped by the fact that he was only half awake). It sounded important; then again, Sumeragi's tone usually made everything sound important.

 _I'll just ask in the morning,_ he finished and got up, making sure to clean himself before pulling up his clothes. After a quick wash of his hands, he quietly made his way out the restroom and towards the bed where the others were sleeping.

"Grab the boy."

He suddenly felt a pair of strong arms grab him from behind, one wrapping around his waist and hoisting him up and the other clasping against his mouth before he could cry out. His eyes went wide as he began struggling against the intruder with all his might, but the iron grip on him didn't budge. Eyes darting around wildly, he saw two other figures standing next to his capture, both of them dressed in very similar fashion the ninja's that served Hoshido.

"Mmmm! Mmmm!" he continued to struggle.

"Damn it, this brat won't stay still," his captor swore while tightening his grip over his mouth, "oy, take out your knife and—"

"Don't even think about it," one of the other men hissed, the one with brown hair tied in a rat's tail and a chinstrap beard, "our orders are to take him in alive and unscathed. If you as so much pull one of his hairs, King Garon will probably flay you while you still breathe. Just don't let go of his mouth."

"Should we grab one of the other brats boss? The king might double our reward if we bring him two royals instead of just one," the third man suggested.

"He said he has no interest in anyone other than this one, so we will not be risking the mission for unnecessary burdens. Let's just get out of here before—"

*SLAM*

The door was knocked off its hinges and crashed onto the floor loudly, causing the other royal children to suddenly wake up dazed and confused.

"LORD CORRIN!"

Sumeragi's bodyguard burst into the room, followed by two young boys with their weapons drawn.

The brown haired man swore as he pulled out his own weapon, "get the boy out of here and to the rendezvous point, now! I'll deal with the old man."

"Yes boss!"

"MNNNN! MNNNNN!" Corrin cried out as the men jumped out of the window and began running through the night still carrying him.

"Corrin!"

"Saizo! Kage! After them!"

Corrin eyes darted around the city as his captors leaped from rooftop to rooftop. It was almost pitch black, the sky completely covered by clouds, and with only a few lanterns illuminating the city streets below. Given the late hour, there was no one out and thus the city was eerily quiet, except for the sound of them running.

Suddenly something whizzed past them, grazing his captor's arms before hitting a building across them. The man swore out loud and Corrin could feel something warm trickling down onto him.

"Damn it! Those kids won't let up!"

"I got this," the other one growled before reaching into his armor. With some quick maneuvering, he jumped into the air and turned his body around to throw something, which was followed by the sound of someone crying out in pain.

"Saizo!"

"Now's our chance!" the two men dropped from the rooftops and into the alleyway pressing themselves against the wall and hiding into the shadows.

"One sound brat and I will slit your throat," his captor growled into his ear while tightening his grip over his mouth.

Two figures appeared above them—one of them slightly hunched and clutching his face—desperately looking around the rooftops.

"Where did they go?!"

"Damnation they got away! Why did you stop chasing them, you were right behind them?!"

"B-But your eye—"

"Is none of your concern! Your lord has been kidnapped, and his safety takes priority over everything else, including your family!" he snapped back, "we have to keep looking, they couldn't have gone far."

 _I'm here! I'm right here! Help!_ Corrin thought, desperately trying to think of a way to let them know their position, only to come up with nothing. He could do nothing but helplessly watch the two boys jump to the next rooftop as the sound of their footsteps grew fainter and fainter.

"Good, looks like we managed to shake them off."

"That miserable little prick did a number on my arm," the man holding Corrin hissed, looking down at the blood still trickling out. The young prince noticed the grip over his mouth loosened slightly, most likely because of the wound.

 _Now!_

He bit down on the hand hard, hard enough to soon taste blood in his mouth. The man yelled in pain before letting go of Corrin, dropping him onto the floor and then kicking him in the stomach hard enough to send him sprawling. The young prince felt the air rush out of his lungs as he struggled to get up.

"YOU LITTLE—!" he heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed.

"NO!" the sound of footsteps followed by a struggle. Standing on shaking legs and blinking back tears, Corrin looked up and saw the two men struggling against each other. One of them had his weapon pulled out, while the other was trying his best to pin him against the wall by his arms.

"The boss said we don't harm the kid!"

Realizing that this would be his only chance, the white haired price turned around and began running as fast as his legs would carry him. He was still struggling to breathe and his legs began to burn, but he didn't stop. He had no idea where he was or where he was running towards, but he didn't care. All he knew was that he had to get as far away from his captors as possible and back to his family.

He wasn't even sure if the men were chasing after him, though it was safe to assume that they were. The dim lit street were all but a blur as he rushed through them as a result of the combination of his fear of being caught and his desperation to get back to the others; all of his focus was on his feet, moving one after the other as fast as possible while ignoring the growing fatigue he was feeling. He maneuvered to the best of his ability, constantly taking different turns every other street in order to try and lose anyone that might be following him. Eventually, though, he felt his lungs beginning to burn and his chest tighten, causing his running to slow down even though he wanted to keep going. Knowing that he would soon collapse if he kept it up, he jumped into a nearby alley and hid behind some empty boxes. He crouched as low as he could go, clutching his legs against his chest and breathing as slow and softly as possible.

He wasn't sure what was worse; the eerie silence of the night surrounding him, or the deafening heart pounding in his chest that he prayed wasn't as loud as it seemed. Each passing second felt like a year, with the young Prince too terrified to even lift his head up to see where he was.

 _I need to get back...I need to get back to the others..._

Still shaking, he slowly lifted his head and peered over the corner. The dimly lit and slightly hazy street was empty, but that didn't put him at ease; if anything, it just made it more clear that he had no idea where he was. He looked around, desperately trying to find something familiar in order to pinpoint his location and make his way back to the others, but it was impossible. Even if the street lights could give off more light, he was certain that he was in an unknown part of the city.

 _What do I do? What do I do?_ He thought to himself while sneaking back into the alley to remain hidden, _I don't know where I am or where I should go. Should I try to find my way back? Should I stay here until morning?_

"Why did you call me here Garon?"

Corrin turned his head towards the other end of the alley, _that voice!_ He then began running towards it.

"Do you not think that this animosity towards our two nations has gone for too long Sumeragi? Do you not wish to end it?"

 _Huh? Whose voice is that?_ It was completely new to him. It was much deeper than Sumeragi's and it sounded like the person was trying to talk with a mouth full of gravel.

"Of course I do, hence why I'm here; but we both know that if it were so simple, our forefathers would have solved this matter centuries ago. Nohr has caused much strife towards Hoshido, while at the same time Hoshido had refused to lend a hand to Nohr during its most dire times. Our countries, our people, share the blame in one way or another, and it would be beneficial to all if we were to cease this endless quarrel and help each other in order to reach a peaceful and prosperous future; but there are some, both in Hoshido and Nohr, who do not see this and would rather have the conflict between our nations continue."

"Indeed. Which is why I come forth with a solution in order to end the animosity between our nations."

"Which is?"

"Have your troops lay down their weapons, renounce your claim to the throne, and have Hoshido become a Nohrian territory."

"WHAT?"

"Make no mistake, the people of Hoshido will be treated just as my own; as long as they do as their new king orders, they will be protected and taken care of. Any who oppose will be made and example for the rest and—"

"Enough! I cannot believe what I am hearing. You honestly expect me to simply stand aside and let you invade Hoshido!?"

"You say that as if your compliance is necessary. I will have Hoshido one way or another; this is just to determine whether or not you will be alive when it happens."

"And to think I actually thought that you were interested in bringing peace between our nations."

"Oh it wont be the first mistake you've made today; but it will definitely be the last."

Suddenly the night was marred by the sound of footsteps and yelling, followed by metal clanging and men screaming in pain. I caused Corrin to stop in his tracks, his fear once more beginning to rise within him.

 _What's going on there? Are...are there people fighting there? That's even more dangerous! I...I need to get away. I need to go...where I still don't know where I am or how to get back to the others. What do I do, what do I do?_

Before he could decide, the night was silent again, with the commotion apparently having died down. Without a second thought, Corrin started running once more that way, assuming that it was safe. Turning around the corner, he saw King Sumeragi with his sword drawn standing around what appeared to be a lot of people lying on the ground. A few feet away stood a large group of people, with one large figure towering over the rest that suddenly took notice of Corrin.

"The boy..."

Sumeragi turned to face the young prince, "Corrin!? What are you doing here?"

"Fire at will."

"CORRIN GET DOWN!"

Corrin was suddenly showed onto the ground right as Sumeragi jumped in front of him, followed by his body jerking spastically and him crying out in pain. After what seemed like an eternity, he fell down to one knee, his breath becoming more and more harrowed as blood began to pool before him.

"F-Father?"

"C-Corrin...get...out...r-run," he coughed weakly.

"I'm disappointed in you Sumeragi."

The tall figure now stood before the bleeding king, its face concealed in the shadows yet still emanating a dark aura of malice around it. Even in the pitch black night, Corrin could see that this person was huge, perhaps even bigger than Sumeragi, covered in dark armor with a cape draping its shoulder and a large ax by its side.

It let out a sinister laugh while lifting the massive weapon above its head, "this wasn't even my best trap."

"You...YOU —" Sumeragi roared, gripping his sword and making one last attempt at to attack the figure.

"Fool," it brought the ax down swiftly.

Corrin felt something strike him across hid body and face like a whip just as the Hoshidian king yelled in pain. It was warm, and soon he felt it dripping down onto his clothes. Trembling, he looked down and saw that he was covered in blood.

"You poor thing..."

His head jerked up, seeing that the figure had stepped over Sumeragi's body and was now looming over him. As it got closer, it's face began to show itself through the darkness, revealing man with a hard face, greyish skin, and white haired; but what caught his attention the most where his eyes, barren, cold, almost dead, yet Corrin could feel them staring into his very soul as a wicked grin spread his face.

"Orphaned at such a tender...young age," he reached his hand down towards him.

The young prince wanted to run, but his body wouldn't move.

 _Help me..._

He wanted to cry out, but his voice wouldn't come out.

 _Anyone...please..._

All he could do was shake in fear as the man's hand came closer and closer, eventually wrapping around his throat.

"You are my child now," was the last thing he heard before everything went dark.

* * *

"NO!"

His eyes shot open, his heart beating hard against his chest and his body covered in a cold sweat. He looked around and say that it was dark, just like—

 _No, no, no!_ He scrambled to get up, only to feel someone grab him and try to hold him down.

Grab him.

Hold him down.

Take him aw—

"NOOOOOOO!" he struggled furiously against his captor, trashing desperately trying to get away, "LET ME GO! LET ME GO!"

"C...O...R...—"

 _You're not taking me away!_

"CO...R...N...—"

 _I'm not leaving them!_

"CORRI...—"

 _I'LL KILL—!_

"CORRIN!"

That voice...

"CORRIN IT'S ME!"

He knew that voice...

"IT'S HINOKA!"

Upon hearing that name, his mind was suddenly flooded with memories. His family, his daughter, his wife, his wedding day, his return home...

 _Home...I'm...home..._

Looking around he saw that he was still in his room, at the palace at Hoshido. His breathing became more relaxed and he could feel his body getting less tense; and at the same time he realized that the pair of arms holding onto him where still there. Turning around, he saw a familiar face with amber eyes and flaming red hair that stuck out even in the dark.

"Hinoka?"

"Oh thank the gods," she let out a sigh of relief before pulling him into a hug, burying her face into his neck. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her lightly, wanting to make sure that she was really there, that it was all real.

"I was so scared for a moment," she pulled back before wiping her eyes.

Feeling a pang of guilt from seeing his wife distraught, Corrin gently pressed his forehead against here, "I'm sorry."

"I know."

"It just...I was having..."

"I know," she reassured him. Pulling back, she looked at him, "what was it?"

"...the night when Sumeragi died. When Garon killed him. When he kidnapped me," he felt his chest tighten and his hand begin to tremble again.

"Corrin listen to me," she said softly, placing her hand on his cheek so his gaze would be fixed on her, "that happened a long time ago. You're back home, and Garon is gone for good. He can never hurt you or any of us again; and as long as I am here with you, I'll make sure nobody hurts you again."

"...thank you."

She moved in and kissed him, which he returned, before settling into his arms once more, the two of them slaying quietly together until they eventually drifted peacefully back to sleep.

* * *

 **Author's note: I know I'm late. But I'm still here.**

 **So yeah, here we have the "final" chapter for this fic; and it's one that I've wanted to write for a long time. Because I like Fire Emblem Fates, I really do. It's not perfect (not by a long shot) but it's a fun entry to the series with its own charm. However, it does have many, MANY flaws, and for me the biggest one was how they "explained" Corrin having been taken to Hoshida. That is to say, they didn't. Sure we got a cutscene, but that just resulted in more questions than answers (at least for me). Why did Sumeragi meet Garon in the middle of the night alone? Why was Corrin, who happens to be the MC and only Hoshido royal NOT his, also there? Wouldn't it make sense for Ryoma, the eldest son, to be there instead? Why didn't Garon take Sumeragi's legendary sword? So I decided to "answer" those questions myself to the best of my ability. It may not be canon, but at this point can you really say it's worse than what little was established.**

 **Anyway, that's done. Now just one more to go...**

 **I'll (hopefully) see you soon.**


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